Binary Catfish

Casual Elegance / Retro Glamour

2012-01-23T15:23:00.003-05:00

Don't forget to heart my set!

FFR: Pink and Silver Secretaries

2012-01-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

I've been so inspired by the elegance of the 30s and 40s lately! It just so happens I have a few secretary blouses from the 80s, when 40s-styling was trendy. Amazing how fashion gets recycled, isn't it?

Pink polyester blouse with shoulder gathers - Rachael (1980s) - thrifted @ Salvation Army in KL ($2)

Plastic pearl strand - heavily tarnished brass clasp, 50s? 60s? - thrifted @ Salvation Army in KL ($0.50)

Double-strand wired pearl bead cuff - 50s or 60s - thrifted ages ago

Chinese brass bangle - $5 at a Chinese shop

Brass and pearl bead cocktail ring - thrifted ages ago

Basic face (foundation, mascara, highlighter)

Crease: Avon pinks shadow duo in dark pink (discontinued)

Lid: Avon pinks shadow duo in light pink (discontinued)

Avon lipstick in Pink Light (discontinued)

Polyester silver brocade blouse - Shirtmate (1980s) - thrifted @ Salvation Army in KL ($2)

Steel grey glass pearl beads - Dollarama - $1

Pearls and chains bracelet - made by me!

Jointed finger armour ring - Ardene - $2

Basic face (foundation, mascara, highlighter)

Crease: Avon In a Blink liner-shadow in Onyx (not available online)

Lid: Avon monoshadow in Citrine (not available online)

Avon Ultra Rich Lipstick in Sheer Natural

Now I Have One: Chains and Pearls Bracelet

2012-01-20T12:00:00.022-05:00

Inspired by the very-awesome Flamingo Toes, I just HAD to have my very own Chain and Pearl Multi-Row Bracelet!

Modeled by my giant wine bottle!

Montage!

I made my own S-clasp and triple brackets, deconstructed a ring for the pearls and a wallet chain for the medium weight chain, and took the various bar doohickies from two pairs of earrings. The smallest and largest chains are from the dollar store!

It was very challenging, and VERY satisfying! I can't wait to wear it!

DIY Distraction: Pearls with Chains and Ribbons and Lace!

2012-01-19T12:00:00.007-05:00

If you're like me, you just might be enamored with the ways pearls have been used in jewelry lately. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, even embellishments on clothing! With some basic tools and supplies, you can create your own one-of-a-kind piece:

Satin Rosette and Pearls Necklace Tutorial - Vibrant Designs

Mixed Media Pearl Necklace DIY Tutorial - SewPetiteGal

Tom Binns Inspired Chunky Necklace DIY - ...love Maegan

Lanvin Drop Pearl and Chain Necklace - ...love Maegan

Pearl and Ribbon Accordian Necklace DIY - ...love Maegan

Sweet Bow Pearl Necklace - Jasmijn O. on Cut Out and Keep

J. Crew Inspired Knotted Twist Bracelet - Stripes and Sequins

Lace and Pearl Bracelet (Target knock-off) - Flamingo Toes

Chain and Pearl Multi-Row Bracelet - Flamingo Toes

Chained Pearl Bracelet - Sweet Autumn on Cut Out & Keep

Pearl Safety Pin Earrings - Transient Expression

Inspiration: Elegant, Ladylike, Sophisticated - Pearls!

2012-01-18T21:01:00.001-05:00

If there is one recent trend in jewellery that I'm all over like cat hair on your favourite (insert garment here), it's the prevalence of pearls! It's a trend that's been trickling down to the masses since October 2010, when Fashion Weeks around the globe hosted the SS 2011 collections. Like many excellent trends, it was the small-scale designers who inspired the Big Names, with innovative usage of pearls as early as 2009!

I've been fond of pearls since girlhood, but I always viewed them as being for special occasions, a bit of living history when women were ladies and elegance was the truest expression of feminine beauty. I think my uber-stylish Grandmother had something to do with that!

But pearls aren't just for family photos, or Christmas, or evenings out anymore! Modern living, modern values, modern fashion means we, as fashionable women (and some men), get to wear what we want when we want to!

BEHOLD! Pearls for the everyday, or at least in a modern way!

Pearl Mega Cluster Necklace - Subversive Jewelry by Justin Giunta

South Sea Pearls, 14K Yellow, Rose, White Gold - Martin L. Bernstein

Silver Pewter Conch Shell Aqua Blue Pearl etc. etc. long title - Estylo Jewelry on Etsy

Peacock Pearl Row Necklace - Gold - ArtsyLadyBoutique on Esty

ABS by Allen Schwartz Knotted Pearl and Chain Bracelet

Alana Norrel bracelet - photo from Eversave via Our Thrifty Ideas

Multi Chain and Pearl Bracelet - Chaotic Soul Jewelry

Kenneth Cole New York "Modern Vintage" Pearl Black Diamond Cuff Bracelet - Endless.com

Gold Pearl Earrings Tassel Fringe etc. - Karmalings on Etsy

Flying Lizard Bow and Pearl Tassel Earrings - Max & Chloe

Pearl Spike Ear Cuff Gold Brass - Ashaloo on Etsy

White Pearls Silver Tassel Earrings - VeraidaGifts on Etsy

FFR: Retro Casual in Myriad Colours

2012-01-17T01:00:00.002-05:00

I love vintage clothing and have since forever ago, and I'm a self-avowed thrift-junkie. My affection for retro looks isn't confined to one era, either! Today, let me share my interpretation of the feminine androgyny of the 1940s and the almost-ridiculous exuberance of the 1970s.

Powder blue polyester blouse - Mantles Petites - thrifted years ago

Cranberry mohair grandpa cardigan - hand knitted - thrifted @ Salvation Army in KL

Flared jeans - Calvin Klein - thrifted years ago

Multi-coloured silk scarf - Anne Klein - thrifted years ago

No make-up, I just ran some errands!

Brown eyelet cotton blouse - Jessica Sport - thrifted years ago

Psychedelic granny-square vest - hand crocheted - thrifted @ Salvation Army in KL

Bell-bottom jeans - Manager - thrifted years ago

Single brass box-chain and red freshwater pearl earring - found on the streets of Sudbury

Labradorite 2g plug - $10 @ Weggies in KL

Wood bangle - Ardene

Red octagonal bangle - thrifted

Chinese brass bangle -$5 at a Chinese goody shop

Basic face (foundation, mascara, highlighter)

Lid: Avon shadow duo in pinks - dark pink

Crease: Avon shadow in Turquoise

Brow: Avon shadow duo in pinks - light pink

Lips: Avon Shine Divine Sheer Luminous Lip Colour in Juicy Bronze (discontinued)

DIY Distraction: Tiny Hats

2012-01-14T03:28:00.001-05:00

I've always been a hat person. The retro and steampunk trends have led to a resurgence in the wearing of adorable hats, which is something we fashionistas should take advantage of!

If you happen to be even half-way crafty, you can totally make your own cute little hat using one of the many excellent tutorials that fellow hat enthusiasts have put on the web. It can be as easy as a cereal box, some fabric and white glue, and as complicated as a leather full-size chapeau!

See all the yummy tutes after the jump!

Millinery In Miniature - Cynthia Howe - Hat-making tutorials for dolls

Mini top hat patterns and tutorial (multiple sizes!) - Angle at fleecefun.com

Mini Top Hat Tutorial - FetishFaerie on DeviantArt

(Felt) Mini Top Hat Tutorial - Over the Crescent Moon

Steampunk Top Hat - The Vintage Key

Mini Tophat Fascinator - GrowPower on Instructables

Leather Steampunk Top Hat - Jenn Nelson on Instructables

Happy Crafting!

DIY Distraction: Leather Lunch Bags

2012-01-11T07:42:00.001-05:00

I love multi-functional things, and I love things that look like other things! Case in point are these delicious leather bags made to look like simple lunch sacs. I will DEFINITELY make myself one!

Anve - Saco del papel grande - black

See more inspirational pieces, plus the tutorials after the break!

Marie Turnor - The Picnic - Black (not currently available in red)

Nat Thakur - Leather mini paperbag

YvoYipOriginals on Etsy - Leather paper bag

HomesteadLeatherWrks on Etsy - Leather lunch bag

This one's not leather, but waxed canvas with leather trim. It's still super attractive!

ArtifactBags on Etsy - No. 215 "Lunch" tote in waxed canvas

So you want to make your own super-awesome lunch bag? Regardless of the material you work with, there are a lot of great tutorials out there for making one. Don't forget that the dimensions are entirely up to you, so don't be afraid to make a paper facsimile before cutting into your gorgeous material!

Making Indian Recycled Bags - Gem on Oofoo

Oilcloth lunchbag tutorial - Skip To My Lou

Lunch bag and clutch purse - Fashion Diva on Haberman Fabrics

Happy crafting!

FFR: Ruffles and Pheasants

2012-01-09T20:34:00.088-05:00

This post truly encapsulates the breadth of my fashion forays! In two days, I wore two VERY different outfits. The first is sort of a modern "gothic romance" look, with frothy pink ruffles and black "leather." The second is about as colourful as my personality, because taking two colours from a print just isn't enough!

Black vinyl moto pants - unbranded - thrifted ($5 bag day)

Pale pink polyester tuxedo blouse - Rhapsody - vintage 80s, thrifted (Value Village, ages ago)

(Want to own it? There are several on Etsy, one, two, three, four, five, and even a blue one!)

Black cuff watch - Ardene ($5)

Strand of black glass pearls - Dollarama ($2)

Sword 2-finger ring - Ardene ($2)

Basic face (foundation, mascara)

Avon In a Blink liner-shadow pencil in Onyx (not available online)

Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick in Sheer Natural

Green raglan tee - Garage (~2008)

Pheasant print tulip skirt - handmade by me!

Sparkly purple knit tights - Ardene ($2)

Purple net hair bow - handmade by me!

Pink/black feather earrings - a gift from RangerBeth in a swap

Pink elastic belt - vintage 80s, thrifted (Value Village, I think...)

Pink/purple/black elasticized cuff - vintage late 80s/early 90s, thrifted (Salvation Army in KL, $1)

(I had one as a child that was candy pink, sky blue and white!)

Basic face (foundation, mascara)

Avon shadow in Bronze (discontinued)

Avon gold dust (discontinued)

Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick in Sheer Natural

Inspo: Gluing Sh!t to Other Sh!t

2012-01-06T03:50:00.002-05:00

If there's one craft trend I've been cringing at lately, it's the "let's glue sh!t to other sh!t" mentality. Mainly this is because of the over-saturation of the hand-crafted market with "steampunk" jewellery. Gluing gems and a brass octopus stamping from China to the guts of an old watch does-not-steampunk-make. I'd link some photos, but that would just embarrass the creators and make me look like a wanker. To avoid that, yee who doth gluest watch parts to octopi, takest thou thy medicine:

HOWEVER!

I have seen some examples of LGSTOS that are, simply put, things I COVET! You can see them after the jump:

Serenthia on Craftster

My Salvaged Treasures

The Hive - ArtByWinona on Etsy

Lace Covered Sunglasses - jaesynburke1 on Etsy

Flowers Abloom - TheQuaintrella on Etsy

Assemblage Cuff - FiorellaJewelry on Etsy

Golden Moment - bohemedesigns on Etsy

FFR: HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2012 is here!

2012-01-03T21:18:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012! I don't know how happy a year it will be, but I'm determined to make the most of it! Here's my very happy, snappy, snazzy New Year's Eve outfit:

I made this!

Boyfriend's tuxedo jacket pinned at the back w/ a pineapple brooch (Moore's/thrifted)

Carroll Reed lurex tee (thrifted)

Unbranded pleather pants (thrifted)

Single black 80s spike earring

Goldtone articulating collar necklace worn as a bracelet (thrifted)

Chinese brass bangle

Miniature top hat fascinator (handmade by me!)

Bonus shot of Neko, aka "Top Hat Cat:"

FFR: Merry Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas Day!

2011-12-26T04:58:00.000-05:00

Ridiculously expensive camisole (Dynamite)

Ram's head torque (thrifted)

Polished glass pendant (thrifted)

DKNY mesh-band watch ($6 @ auction)

Black cuff watch (Ardene)

Silver hinged bangle (Ardene)

Basic face, eyelid contouring, Avon red lipstick

Salmon-pink tee (Garage)

"Fishing tackle" earrings (Ardene)

.925 silver and diamond swirl pendant (Peoples; gift)

DKNY mesh-band watch ($6 @ auction)

Silver hinged bangle (Ardene)

Basic face, eyelid contouring, hot pink lipstick

FFR: Red, Green, Sparkle, Bow

2011-12-23T04:28:00.000-05:00

Green raglan tee (Garage)

Lime green headband (Dollarama) with gift bow earring (thrifted)

Basic face, eyelid contouring, Avon red lipstick

2 red plastic bangles, one octagonal, one round (thrifted)

Mermaid-inspired salvaged textile cuff (hand-made by me)

FFR: Sparkle, Spangle, Jangle

2011-12-17T04:12:00.013-05:00

Carroll Reed gold lurex tee (thrifted; $2)

Unbranded vinyl pants (thrifted on bag day)

2 red plastic bangles, octagonal and round (thrifted)

Chinese brass bangle ($5 at an Asian shop)

Gold-tone cocktail ring with faux pearls (thrifted)

Single red gift bow clip-on earring (thrifted)

Basic face, eyelid contouring, Avon gold dust, Avon red lipstick

FFR: Wild Animals That I Dragged Away

2011-12-16T03:59:00.017-05:00

Moose shirt (thrifted; hand-shredded by me)

Wood bangle (Ardene)

Vintage brown plastic bangle (thrifted)

Coyote tooth (yard sale; hole drilled by jeweller)

Basic face, Avon shadow in Bronze, Avon gold dust, unbranded blue dust.

Fashion For Real - 12/9&10/11

2011-12-15T20:12:00.000-05:00

It seems my Friday's have become all about funky, experimental looks, and my Saturday's for the chic glamour. Tis the season for holiday parties, and those are always held on Saturday nights. Frankly, if my guests/clients/customers are going to be dressed nicely, they should expect their server to be dressed nicely as well. Case in point:

FRIDAY

Aqua mesh "sweater" with knit collar and cuffs - free, bytches! (thanks, neighbour's friend!)

Aqua lace-trimmed camisole - Christmas 2010 (thanks, hunny's mom!)

Basic face (foundation, mascara, highlighter)

Crease: Avon Color Dazzlers glittering eyeshadow in Bronze (discontinued)

Lid and Brow: random Ardene shadow trio in gold

Accent: random shimmery blue powder from a make-up grab-bag

Just a little funky, no? I'd forgotten all about this sweater! It's completely random that the cami is almost a perfect colour-match.

Tagless black dress with hook-and-eye detail - Value Village in Sudbury (~2009)

Vintage coral-bead braided necklace - $2 @ Salvation Army in KL

One 80s black spike earring - VV in Sudbury (~2008)

My fave Ardene cuff watch

Basic face (foundation, liner, mascara, highlighter)

Eyeshadow is Avon Warm Knits Quad in Autumn Knits (disc.):

Bronze Wool in the crease, Fall Sun on the lid and brow,

Knit Brick dusting my upper cheekbone

So there ya have it: wacky Friday, classy Saturday. I actually kind of like the dichotomy of it! This weekend's outfits are going to be more of the same :D

Fashion For Real - 12/3/2011

2011-12-04T04:31:00.001-05:00

It was definitely a night for some sparkle! There were at least 5 holiday parties going on around town, so I knew I needed to look as nice as our guests would. I wore some of my favourite pieces.

Vintage beaded/sequined tank - trhifted from Northern Bargains ($15)

Skinny-cut jeans - Dish Jeans - Jean Machine

Crazy faux-hair scrunchie thing - a random dollar store, years ago

Vintage silver and onyx fan necklace - bought in Mexico by my Grandmother

Black hinged cuff watch - Louis Arden - Ardene

Silver hinged bangle - Ardene

Black pleather pleated shoebooties - Fioni

My usual base products (face, lashes, liner)

Crease: Avon True Color monoshadow in turquoise

Lid: Ardene metallic-pastel palette in lavender

Outer corner: Ardene metallic-pastel palette in orange

Fashion For Real - 12/2/2011

2011-12-03T22:04:00.001-05:00

I went on a very chic safari last night! If you can call the assortment of characters at a dance bar a "safari." I put this outfit together with almost entirely thrifted garments and accessories. Second-hand ROCKS! And second-hand DESIGNER pieces rock that much harder!!!! Also, I figured out how to lighten my photos in-camera.

Polyester-rayon khaki men's button-up - Pierre Cardin - thrifted 2 weeks ago ($2)

Skinny-cut jeans - Dish Jeans - Jean Machine (~2008)

Blood red suede boots - unknown brand - thrifted this summer ($4)

Brass torque - thrifted in late 90s

Brass bangle with Hindu theme - thrifted 4 or 5 years ago

Lion King Special Edition watch (What? I liked that movie...) - gift from Mumsie
Vintage double-stranded "pearls" cuff - thrifted ages ago

Elastic/leather belt with unique closure - Holt Renfrew - thifted in the late 90s

All my usual base products (face, lashes, liner, highlighter)

Eyeshadow is Avon Warm Knits Quad in Autumn Knits (loooong discontinued):

Bronze Wool in the crease, Fall Sun on the lid, Knit Brick at the outer corner

Fashion For Real - 11/26/11

2011-11-27T21:52:00.001-05:00

I really need to change where I take my photos! The light in the kitchen is AWFUL! I dressed up all extra nice for what was supposed to be a super-busy night, and you can hardly tell how smexy I was. Doesn't matter too much, though, because despite multiple business parties going on that night, hardly anyone came to "my" bar for the after-party. It was a truly dismal turn-out. I actually did better on Friday, tips-wise.

Black/grey zebra and lace top - self-made

Black leatherette moto-pants - unknown brand - thrifted for $5

Pleated black leatherette shoe-booties - Fioni - $35 from Payless (2008)

Black cuff watch - Louis Arden @ Ardene's

DKNY mesh-band watch ($6 @ auction)

Silver bangle from Ardene's

Avon lipliner in True Red (discontinued)

Avon Beyond Colour lipstick in Chili (discontinued)

And my hair doodad just because it's cute! A Christmas gift from my hunny's parents.

Fashion For Real - 11/25/11

2011-11-26T15:30:00.002-05:00

Well, it turns out that I'm flying solo at work, at least for awhile. My compatriot got on the wrong side of the Boss-Man one time too many and was told not to return. Good news for me, because then I'm not competing for sales! YAY! No idea how long this will last, however.

I've made a new outfit, which garnered compliments from both my handsome other half and several of my co-workers. Earlier this week, I picked up a paint-splattered Chaps by Ralph Lauren chambray button-down from the thrift store. FOR FREE!!! Once I was done gushing about how awesomely destroyed it is, the lady at the counter said "Oh, well if it's wrecked, just take it. Don't know why it's out on the floor." I saved a whole $2.

FYI, button-down shirts and button-up shirts are not necessarily the same thing. If you'll look closely, my fab new top has the collar points "buttoned down." I wanted a 40s-inspired look, so I paired it with the only trouser-jeans I own (which created unflattering crotch-shadows in the harsh light of the kitchen, regardless of how elegantly I stood...), and put the front of my hair in a twist. The make-up is very simple with some eyelid contouring and totally classic blue-tinged red lipstick. And no, I did not wear my slippers to work :P

Paint-splattered chambray button-down - Chaps (Ralph Lauren) - FREE, bytches!

Generic dark red long-line tee - Giant Tiger many, many moons ago

Trouser jeans with attachable suspender-straps - Foxy Jeans - $75 from Pantorama (2008)

Asics cross trainers (not shown)

Avon lipliner in True Red (discontinued)
Avon Beyond Colour lipstick in Chili (discontinued)

2 vintage red plastic bangles, one round, one octagonal

DKNY mesh-band watch ($6 @ auction)

Hinged bangle from Ardene

Oh, what strange paths I travel...

2011-11-11T00:16:00.001-05:00

Have you ever just followed your Wikipedia nose?

From ancient whales to the Tethys sea and the Cimmerian continent and the Cimmerian Plate, to the mountains thrust up by it's impact with Laurasia. I got to wondering about the peoples who live along that boundary zone. Apparently, the Uighur khaganate historically controlled a large portion of it.

This graphic shows the division of peoples at the time, including the Khazar khaganate. Apparently they kicked some major Muslim ass in the Caucasus Mountains and then officially turned to Judaism. They were very tolerant, apparently, because you could practice Islam in their territory if you liked, and you'd be judged according to Sharia if you did something unlawful. Sviatoslav the First, a Varangian (viking!) Rus, was so impressed with their method of dual-king governance that he adopted it after taking over a portion of their lands in Ukraine. Heh, I knew there were vikings in my ethnic history somewhere!

This is exhausting. Why must learning about something so exciting be so exhausting!?!?! I want to keep reading, but I'm getting eyestrain...

Hallowe'en 2011 - Sexy Unicorn Costume (But Not How I Envisioned It!)

2011-10-28T10:55:00.000-04:00

Ah, even the best laid plans can run afoul of reality! Due to a lack of cash and the necessary tools, I had to make some major changes to my plans for being a unicorn. I love dressing up for Hallowe'en, and I love making costumes. I DON'T love being too poor to realize my vision! So I had to get creative.

Thankfully, I had some things in my closet that were very useful! It just so happens that many years ago, I was a 60s era Bond girl composed almost entirely of thrifted clothing. This sexy zippered stretch-cotton dress is the entire basis for my new unicorn outfit.

All it needed was a tail, so I attached a cheap hairpiece from Ardene to the bum.

I really, really wanted that horn from Metal Water Studio, but alas... Thankfully, I found a large wiggle-minnow lure at Dollarama to form the bare bones of my horn. Here is the horn coated in air dry clay, along with the smaller lure I didn't use. I had to add some more clay because it cracked upon drying.

Painting the horn was so much fun! I used DecoArt acrylics in light antique white, burnt umber, and country maple, mixed in various concentrations for use on various parts of the horn. For the finishing touch, I dry brushed it with a final coat of Delta Ceramcoat in metallic kim gold.

Ah, hooves... I couldn't get a hold of any wood working tools, so I didn't finish the shoes I started, nor did I make simple digitigrade hooves. I did, however, have a pair of hard rubber sandals that I never wear because the plastic uppers hurt my feet.

The first thing I needed to do was remove and copy the uppers onto leather. I made the uppers longer so they can go over the toes.

Step two was to paint the sandals white.

After attaching the new uppers with upholstery tacks and trimming the leather, I painted them to look hoof-like. I was inspired by the painting section of the "Making costume hooves, fit for a faun" tutorial. I used the same paints as the horn, including the dry-brushed gold.

Updates later tonight to show off the complete costume plus makeup!

Fashion For Real - 10/23/11

2011-10-23T06:36:00.000-04:00

All the research I've been doing for my next DIY Distraction post has me all spangle-eyed! I couldn't help but wear the most sparkly top in my collection to work last night :D I really wish the lighting in the bathroom was less yellow, but being the cheapskate I am, I'll stick with lightbulbs from the Dollarama.

Handmade sequined/beaded top - vintage (unknown provenance) - $15 @ Northern Bargains in KL

Calvin Klein Jeans - thrifted (~1999)

Black leather Chuck Taylor style non-slip shoes - Shoes For Crews - $55 (2010)

Single brass hoop earring - found on a sidewalk in Sudbury

Chinese brass bangle - $5 at a shop in Sudbury

Black hinged watch - Louis Arden - 2/$10 deal at Ardene in Kirkland Lake

Avon Smooth Minerals Powder Foundation in sand beige

Avon True Color monoshadow in both citrine and turquoise

Avon In a Blink Liner Shadow Pencil in onyx

Sephora colorful mono eyeshadow in aspen summit no. 23

Sephora mascara lash plumper
Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick in sheer natural

Fashion For Real - 10/22/2001

2011-10-22T04:31:00.001-04:00

I love my job! I dance around like an idiot all weekend and ply people with drinks! Plus, I have an excuse to pretty myself up. My nails are looking so nice lately, don't you think?

Hot pink keyhole-back dolman-sleeve tunic - Seduction - $25 @ Sirens (~2007)

Silver Jeans "Kyle" - ~$70 @ Pantorama in Sudbury (~2007)

Black leather Chuck Taylor style non-slip shoes - Shoes For Crews - $55 (2010)

Black/pink/purple stretch bracelet - vintage 80s - $2 @ Salvation Army in Kirkland Lake

Black hinged watch - Louis Arden - 2/$10 deal at Ardene in Kirkland Lake

Silver hinged bangle (minus the matching watch) - 2/$10 deal at Ardene in Sudbury (~2006)

Black wood circle earring (one of two) - 5/$10 deal at Ardene in Sudbury (~2006)

Black metal drop earring (one of two) - vintage 80s - $2 at Value Village in Sudbury (~2006)

Avon Smooth Minerals Powder Foundation in sand beige

Ardene eyeshadow pallette in pastel metallics

Avon In a Blink Liner Shadow Pencil in onyx

Sephora colorful mono eyeshadow in aspen summit no. 23

Sephora mascara lash plumper

Sequinspiration!

2011-10-20T18:26:00.001-04:00

Vintage Sequin Collection - Plenty of Colour

Ooooh, I'm such a magpie! I love all things shiny, sparkly, metallic! Which is why I'm LOVING one of this coming year's big trends: sequins! Sequin embellishment has fallen in and out of fashion-favour since... Well, since sequins were invented. I learned in an anthropology class that many aboriginal peoples in North America used sturgeon and pike scales to decorate their clothing and possessions, and this usage was likely common around the world. There are a few fashion-fabricators that still use fish scales as sequins. Just look how pretty this trout is! Yes, yes, trout don't have proper scales, but they're amazingly iridescent and clearly illustrate the potential beauty of sequins.

Trout caught by my boyfriend's father last winter. It was stuffed with lemon-pepper rice and baked.

So why are sequins so awesome for FW'11 into SS'12? Well, for one, Dolce & Gabbana are among my heroes:

Dolce & Gabbana Fall Winter 2011 Ad Campaign - art8amby

Dolce & Gabbana - look 52 (detail photo 61) - Style.com

*DROOL* The handbags are encrusted with sequins and gems!!! And seriously: a sequin smoking jacket!!! How about a more traditionally cut tuxedo jacket?

Dolce & Gabbana FW 2011 - look 46 - Style.com

As gorgeous as a "le smoking" or blazer would be in a sequined fabric, I think I'd rather have a greater-than-epic topper, a la Givenchy:

Givenchy SS2012 - look 28 - Style.com

Givenchy SS2012 - look 28 (detail photo 37) - Style.com

Givenchy, being the fashion powerhouse that it is, can show as many of the same outfit as they like, because the fashion royalty will eat it all up! This particular blazer is available in no less than 3 other fabrics! And they're ALL delicious! This, however, is by far my favourite iteration.

I am impressed by the work of Peter Dundas for Emilio Pucci. This gown in particular is gooooorgeous! I love the lines, the assymetry, the fact that it got a gut reaction from me the first time I saw it. Stunning, classic, and yet, unexpected!

Emilio Pucci FW2011 - look 46 - Style.com

As always with fashion, someone has to take things to the extreme! With giant 3 inch wide paillettes, I think Vuitton and Prada both do a great job of it:

Louis Vuitton FW 2011 - look 47 - Style.com

Prada FW 2011 - look 40 - Style.com

All of these looks are tres chic, but much too formal for most women's everyday lives. For more casual pieces, and DIY-ables, check back tomorrow!

Fashion For Real - 10/18/11

2011-10-18T13:39:00.002-04:00

I had a job interview today! And if there's one thing you'll hear from job search advisers over and over, it's that you should always err on the side of OVER-dressing, rather than under-dressing. Sure, the job opening is for a sales rep at Hart (a discount department store), but still, I wanted to look like I was serious. Forgive my messed up hair, as I ran a bunch of errands afterwards.

Cotton crop-sleeve blazer - Cartise Sport - $80 at a boutique in Sudbury (~2003)

Cotton eyelet blouse - George - thrifted by Mom

Calvin Klein Jeans - thrifted (~1999)

Comfy running shoes for walking across town - Asics - $200 at SportCheck in Sudbury (~2004)

Seiko self-winding watch - vintage (inherited from maternal grandfather)

Mexican 950 silver and onyx fan-style necklace - vintage (inherited from paternal grandmother)

Sephora mascara lash plumper
Avon Healthy Makeup Lipstick SPF15 in Pink Light

Meta-Fashion: Black Zebra Victorian Top

2011-10-13T21:34:00.002-04:00

Want to see what I've been working on? It's Victorian-inspired, involves lace, zebra print, and it's nice and stretchy! Here's my latest long-sleeve top in my workroom:

I LOVE this zebra fabric! This version is grey with black zebra print. The shoulder-to-shoulder yoke is made of black and silver floral lace fabric with a black lace trim. The full length sleeves are puffed at the shoulders with little pleats. All the hems are double-stitched. Size medium, to give a body-skimming fit for 34 to 36 inch bust. I'm almost done a short-sleeve version in the same size. Both will soon be available on Binary Catfish Meta-Fashion!

DIY Distraction: Sheer & Mesh & Lace, Oh My!

2011-10-13T20:44:00.002-04:00

If there's one thing I love about the sheer/mesh/lace trend, it's when these materials are used as accents. Even better when you can see through to the luscious skin beneath! A sewing machine goes a long way towards facilitating all your DIY dreams, but as long as you own scissors and can hand-sew, your dreams are within reach!

Laia of GeometricSleep doesn't know who owns this photo, but it's a great example!

DIY Insert Sweater by Carly of Chic Steals on Seamingly Smitten

T-Shirt with Lace 2 by Mariann on Cut Out and Keep

Lace Back Tank by elisa m. on Cut Out and Keep

Add a Flare on Inspiration&Realisation

DIY Contrast Sheer Sleeve Sweater on RunwayDIY

"Icicle" by astronette on Flickr - fabric appliqued ONTO mesh!

Fashion For Real - 10/11/11

2011-10-11T13:40:00.002-04:00

I went out with my hunny to run some errands and decided to spiffy up! No time to apply make-up or do my hair, so I just threw it in a chignon and wrapped a faux-hair scrunchie around it. Thanks for the photos, love!

Mid-90s rayon jacquard blazer - Michael K. & Company - thrifted on a $5-bag-day

Early- to mid-90s polyester pintucked blouse - Overnight - thrifted on a $5-bag-day

Silver Jeans "Monica Skinny" - ~$65 in 2007 from Pantorama

Fioni black pleather peeptoe shoebooties - ~$30 in 2009 from Payless Shoe Source

Yeah, I'm pretty cheap when it comes to my clothes! I tend to take reeeeeally good care of everything, though, so even mediocre quality items tend to last me a long time. I seriously prefer vintage clothing, as they've already withstood the test of time. Want to know why my 4 year old jeans still look great? I wash them on cold and hang to dry!!!!

DIY Distraction: Cut It Out!

2011-10-11T06:05:00.001-04:00

The trick with baring skin is knowing when to stop. A glimpse of some sensual curve is a classy way to showcase your femininity. From there, you can go in a LOT of different directions! Heck, you don't even have to bare SKIN, just something underneath the outer layer, like an onion with a window in it. Effective layering (for fashion, not warmth!) relies on the ability to see the progressive layers, and cutouts are a great way to achieve this effect. Today's DIY compilation-of-inspiration:

The Shoulder Cut-Out

DIY Cutout Shoulder Shirt - A Pair and a Spare

Burgundy Cut Out Shirt - Love Aesthetics

DIY Peekaboo Shoulder Buttondown - RunwayDIY

The Crop Chop

Cutting Season - Love Aesthetics

DIY Diagonal Crop Top - Splendid Apparel

Crop Top from an Old Cotton Tee! - Stereoskyline on Chictopia

Party In The Back

Tutorial | Flipped Cream Blouse - Freshly Given

LBD #1: DIY Cut Out Back Minidress - A Pair and a Spare

DIY Cut Out Back Jacket - A Pair and a Spare

Apocalyptic Swap: Sent!

2011-10-10T04:48:00.001-04:00

Like usual, I "procraftinated" and did the most work during the last week of the swap! So what did I send my partner? Here's a sneak peek:

The largest item, and one of the medium items, was made from an old London Fog trench coat. This coat has a long history! It belonged to my boyfriend's favourite aunt who died of cancer many years ago. His brother adopted it and wore it until a tragic accident ripped it from hem to pocket on the front. It languished on the back side of the butler for who knows how long! When said brother finally decided to go through his old jackets, I adopted the worst damaged to take off the fasteners (buttons, zippers, etc). And now that worse-for-wear trench has a new life as TWO pieces of steampunk apparel!

As for the rest, the goodies include new and vintage lace, new and vintage buttons, a vintage zipper, wire, chain, suede leather, a feather, a rock, an acorn and a fluffy cloud of polyester yumminess.

DIY Distraction: Skull Cut-Out Tee

2011-10-10T00:54:00.001-04:00

In an endeavor to blog daily, here's a cool and easy DIY that just takes patience and a boring old shirt!

Pleasure Principle - Laser Cut Skull - $115

Pleasure Principle makes this gorgeous skull-backed tee (and a plethora of other cool products!), but when you're an aspiring fashionista with a limited budget, ya gotta pick and choose your battles. Buuuut, they use really high quality fabrics, and the laser cutter doesn't pay for itself.

Shop W.A.S. - Cut Out Skull Sweater - $80

Shop W.A.S.'s sweatshirt version has apparently been worn by Chantal of CocoRosa. And it happens to be a more affordable piece. No mention of how this is done on the website, however. If you're into the gothic aesthetic and paganism, you just might like the rest of Shop W.A.S.'s offerings!

Want this look? It's really easy to DIY! With a bit of drawing, a bit of cutting, you have a brand new shirt to wow your (jealous) friends :D

DIY Cutout Skully Tee on CutOut&Keep

Want to get REALLY fancy? Do a more complex design and outline it to keep the holes from turning into runs!

DIY Zadig et Voltaire Cut-Out Skull Tee

Fashion For Real - 08/11/11

2011-10-09T04:20:00.003-04:00

Let me introduce to you my first real "What I Wore" post! I chose Fashion For Real as the title because I want to show how easy it is to look chic in real life with very simple, small things.

I've been working as a shooter girl for a few weeks, and it's quite a lot of fun! I have an excuse to dress up, wear make-up and jewellery, and I dance all weekend! Here's what I wore to work today:

Generic beige v-neck shirt - $2 @ yard sale

DISH dark-wash skinny jeans - ~$65 in 2007 from Pantorama

Black and bronze running shoes - Top Tech - ~$55 in 2008 from POP Shoes

Brass Chinese bangle - $5

Vintage double-strand pearl bracelet - thrifted aaaages ago

DKNY mesh-band watch - $7 @ auction

Avon Smooth Minerals Powder Foundation in sand beige

Avon Color Dazzlers Glittering Eyeshadow in Bronze

Ardene eyeshadow in sparkly brown and gold

Avon In a Blink Liner Shadow Pencil in onyx

Sephora colorful mono eyeshadow in aspen summit no. 23

Sephora mascara lash plumper

Assemblage; Statement Necklaces on the Cheap

2011-10-05T19:46:00.091-04:00

After discovering arm parties and twisted multi-strand assemblage necklaces earlier this year, I stewed about the aesthetic for quite some time. Well, I finally did it! I've been wearing arm parties on a regular basis for almost 2 months (check out the arm parties on Bloggers Do It Better!), but here are the two (in my opinion) fabulous assemblage necklaces I've worn so far (and an arm party!), made from jewellery I already own. No tools or special jewellery-making stuff required!

Big red bead necklace (thrifted, '80s)

Black w/ red and gold paint splatter necklace (thrifted, '80s)

Chili pepper charm on twisted-link chain (thrifted, pre-'95)

Double-strand faux pearl necklace with rose-motif clasp (thrifted, '50s)

Four-strand faux pearls on "antique bronze" chain necklace (Ardene, <$5)

Sterling and ceramic Victorian-revival brooch (thrifted, provenance unknown)

Mexican brass open bangle, tourist piece (thrifted, provenance unknown)

Double-strand faux pearl open bangle (thrifted, provenance unknown)

Brass bangle made in China (<$5)

See what I meant by cheap? Each assemblage necklace cost less than $15! I was at the Hobby Shoppe downtown today and noticed that the lovely proprietress, Judy, carries strands of faux pearls! It's tempting to get some jewellery supplies (like crimp beads and clasps) and make a few proper assemblage necklaces.

I took a bunch of tutorial photos that turned out like crap, so without further ado, here's some tutorials from around the web:

...love Maegan's Tom Binns necklace

College Fashion DIY Mutli-Chain Necklace

Dana Lorenz on Refinery29

Bead Studio's Twisted Multi-Strand Necklace (opposite forces keep the twist tight!)

Expect to see more of this from me :D

Keep crafty!

Assemblage; "How to Build a Better Necklace"

2011-10-05T19:43:00.003-04:00

The art of assemblage has seen a major resurgence over the last decade or so, particularly in the "crafty" community. If you frequent Craftster, you have surely seen some amazing multimedia work, particularly in the Papercrafts and More Art, Less Craft categories. My favourite iteration of this art style is definitely in jewellery! Specifically, necklaces. This style has been a mainstream trend since 2009, but I notice that the "affordable" versions from such vendors as Forever21 and Target are made of cheap, potentially toxic materials, and are actually pretty boring as far as assemblages go.

That's not to say that I don't own cheap, mass-produced, slightly-interesting neckwear. These cheap pieces have a place in my wardrobe, but it's so much more interesting to combine jewellery in unexpected ways! I've already shared the Monoxious tutorial for a Tom Binns style safety pin necklace, but here I'm going to focus more on how random elements put together can be chic and fresh, AND how to do a simple version on the cheap.

These are commercially available, inexpensive, and not particularly interesting iterations:

These, however, are spectacular! And, uh, expensive :P

AllThingsTinsel on Etsy

invintageheaven on Etsy

JenniferJonesJewelry on Etsy

novella on Etsy

lepetitecircus on Etsy

What do these "good" examples of assemblage have in common? For one, they are very noticeable! But what exactly makes them noticeable??? I think the first attribute to discuss is the DENSITY of the materials. All of these necklaces have a lot of "stuff" packed into a relatively small space. The second attribute of a good assemblage necklace is TEXTURE. Mixing different sizes/types of one material, and/or a variety of materials provides many different visual textures for the eye to take in, meaning a viewer would be likely to look at the piece longer than something that is unidimensional, or with visual textures that are all very similar to each other. The third and last attribute I'd like to mention here is COLOUR. Each of these pieces uses different coloured materials, but the finished result is harmonious. Depending on how you use colour, your piece will convey a different impression.

DIY AHEAD!!!!

There is a "cheap" way to get this look! This is not to say that these "cheap" pieces are unappealing, with no place in a sane woman's wardrobe, just that they take less imagination to assemble (which can be either good OR bad!). The easiest way to "cheat" at assemblage jewellery is to buy strands of beads at Michael's or WalMart, twist them together, and add a clasp. You can also scour the thrifts for simple necklaces, add your commercial bead strands, and there you have it. You might even have a few necklaces languishing in your drawers, just waiting to be combined with each other! If you follow the rules of density, texture and colour, you can still end up with an interesting piece.

HeartofTexasBling on Etsy

AshleeCollection on Etsy

Dannijo necklace as seen on Pinterest

And becuase this post is long enough, I bid thee ADIEU!

After the End-Times: Dirty Chic

2011-09-27T14:54:00.002-04:00

The Apocalyptic Fashion Swap is in full swing, and everyone is crafting like mad! It is because of this swap that I discovered an amazing new tool. Whoever invented the online pinboard is a GENIUS! Thanks to Pinterest, I was able to create a fabulous collection of Apocalyptic fashions from ALLLL over the interwebz :D Here's a few beautiful pieces I've collected so far:

This is so bloody chic, I almost died when I saw it. The jacket is fabulous, but the entire look is gasp-worthy. OblivionClothing on Etsy is now one of my fashion-heroes. How to DIY? Haunt the thrift stores until you find a camouflage men's shirt, and refashion it into a bolero. Applique about a dozen yards of gold upholstery trim, eh voila!

This vest by destruction101 on Etsy is the perfect bad-ass topper for a bad-ass Mad Max outfit. This happens to be a beautifully cut and tailored piece underneath all that bleach. If you can find a denim vest that fits you well, you can easily DIY! Some black dye (a strong one, like Procion), a bit of bleach and a bleach-stopper/vinegar, (ALWAYS DO BLEACHING OUTSIDE!!!!) and you got yourself a rockin' "I'm too gritty for dirt" vest.

Speaking of Mad Max, I have long been a fan of Black Orchid Designs on Etsy. Not only is her work AMAZING, but her prices are super reasonable. Oh, and this bytch is CANADIAN, booyah! These two examples require materials and techniques that I don't have ready access to, so for a DIY version, ya'll are on your own!

Although I couldn't find this image on the actual Kotik website, you can see it and others here. Considering I have several thousand bottle caps, I think I'd like to do a DIY version. If I do, you'll be sure to see it here! Must buy 500+ jumprings...

So Three Arrows Leather is trying to sell me the deerskin fringe necklace and feather earring, but this could be a movie still from a chick-flick version of Mad Max: Road Warrior. Found via Cosmic Dust, which is one of the world's best compendia of fashion and culture images. Wanna DIY this look? Get yourself a moto jacket, first of all! A spool of leather lace could be handy for the necklace. Just loop strips of leather onto a longer piece of leather, and then handsew some dome buttons along the edge. There's so many ways to do a feather earring, just Google search it and be inspired!

When the nomad/wanderer trend hit the catwalks for Winter 2010, I was smitten. I still am smitten. I'm slooooowly learning how to combine and layer both garments and accessories to give the impression of collected-over-time opulence; I'm a gypsy of extremely discerning taste, stylishly combining antique, vintage, ethnic, and useful/practical items into a chic assemblage on my body. Or at least, I'd like to be :P I remember seeing a reference for this image at one time or another, and I believe it was Vogue Russia for November 2010. However, I can't find it, so here it is with other super-chic images on Fine Fettle. Wanna DIY this look? Again, haunt the thrifts, but extend the search to your own closet. Get creative with layering pieces you wouldn't ordinarily put together. After all, once society has collapsed, you'll be wearing whatever you can find! It'll take practice to make it look good, yeah?

This is my FAVE piece by Sarah Viscera on Etsy! Her style is such that I bet she's barely out of HS, but there's some MAJOR potential here! How to DIY? Ingredients: one olive green tee, one piece of black mesh OR a black mesh top, scraps of black jersey OR a black top. Take that mesh and rip some holes in it, then layer it onto the front of your olive tee. Do some fun bleaching to your black jersey/tee (OUTSIDE!!!!!), cut it into rectangles and layer those on top of the mesh. TADAAAAA!

As always, KEEP CRAFTY!

DIY Distraction: Safety Pin Couture (& A Wee Little Rant)

2011-08-31T00:54:00.003-04:00

I know I promised my next post would be all about apocalyptic fashion, but Pinterest refuses to send me an invite. I love the functionality of pinboards, so I've been trying to get on it since last Thursday. I finally tried a different email address, and hopefully they'll actually let me create an account. That, however, is NOT my rant of the day. (Skip to the bottom for the DIY stuff)

THIS IS.

NYFW DIY #1: Vena Cava Safety Pin DIY at Dirty Hems

No, no, not the DIY awesomeness brought to us by Katy of Dirty Hems. No, indeed. Gather 'round and let me tell you a story...

Today I was cruising BurdaStyle's old DIY blog posts hoping for inspiration to strike. I've been in such a crafting funk, which is why I'm really looking forward to the Apocalyptic Fashion Swap. I thought the Vena Cava safety pin shirt featured in Safety Pin Chic was just sooooo cool, I looked up the relevant collection from Vena Cava (SS 2010).

Then, after Googling a bit, I kept seeing references to Katy's Vena Cava knock-off ALL OVER THE PLACE. *SWOON* Gorgeous, and just as good as the original!

BUT.

I couldn't find the actual post by Katy herself. Wanna know why??? Because Katy's blog is a BASTARD. Quite possibly Katy doesn't realize just what a bastard it is. Dirty Hems dot net is a bastard because after clicking any one of oh, 5 or 6 links from various fashion blogs in an attempt to see the original post, the darn thing STARTS to load the proper page (you can see it in the address bar), but then it redirects you to the front page. Oh, yes, it REDIRECTS YOU.

The entire reason I wanted to find the original post was a) to see if she discussed her methodology, and b) so that I could re-share it here. It would not surprise me if the link I provided to the proper post simply sent you to the Dirty Hems homepage. I even tested it by copying from one tab and pasting into a new tab, and it worked, but I have little faith in it.

If Binary Catfish dot blogger dot com ever becomes a bastard, I REALLY hope someone will post about it, because I totally Google myself.

So if you want to read Katy's posts and don't want to spend a half hour tearing your hair out, go to the Dirty Hems archive for September 2009, then find the elusive NEXT button at the bottom and hit it. The post I lifted this photo from is dated September 14, 2009. Hit NEXT again to see some construction info and mostly-finished pix posted on September 12, 2009.

Aaaaanyway, while we're here, some more safety pin DIY:

Safety Pin Stripe Pocket Tee at Legally Crafty

Safety Pin Wings by Smexy Dead at Instructables

MAR25 (2010) on PS I MADE THIS (archive page)

Brook&Lyn Moschino-inspired Jacket on Style Copycat

Tom Binns DIY Safety Pins and Pearl Necklace on The Letter CH

DIY Fashion Tutorial: Tom Binns Safety Pin Necklace on Monoxious

Magazine scan on Outsapop Trashion

Safety Pin DIY at CocoRosa

Manifesto Pesto Esto at SUPERWOWOMG

D.I.M. : Gold Pin Bow Tie Brooch at Augustine Wong

Don't Buy DIY: Tom Binns Safety Pin Rhinestone Earrings at Chic Steals

Keep crafty!

Anatomy of an Apocalypse

2011-08-28T17:50:00.002-04:00

Craftster is my absolute favourite crafty haunt, and when the Apocalyptic Fashion Swap Round 2 popped up, I couldn't help myself, I HAD to sign up! I love possible-future movies and books, and though these are mostly sci-fi, they still lend themselves to the aesthetic. In this post, I'd like to talk about some of my favourite films and novels in the genre. Please note, zombies don't exist in my reality.

Last year, I watched A Boy and His Dog, because I wanted to watch a bunch of flicks from my childhood. Yea, not exactly a kid's movie, but my dad was watching it and it happened to be interesting! One of the few things I remembered about it was the dog and guy have a psychic connection, and they share a can of dog food at one point. I totally didn't remember the ending, so I'm guessing I didn't see that far into it! If you like boobies, campy sci-fi/action flicks, and surprise twists that make you facepalm, you may like it :D

Two of my all-time favourite post-apocalypse movies just so happen to both star (and be directed/produced by) Kevin Costner. The Postman is another movie I hadn't seen since childhood, and re-watched about 2 years ago now. Then I found out it was based on a book, and yes, the book is better. It just so happens I liked David Brin's work BEFORE I knew that he wrote this particular novel. I'd read his first 3 Uplift novels as a teen, and they're AWESOME. Waterworld, which I didn't know was the biggest waste of money in all of Hollywood history until around last Christmas, was one of the few movies my brother and I could agree on to watch! It was just such a sweeping epic to our little minds!

For a really unique spin on how humanity can survive a global nuclear war that pretty much destroys the planet, read Octavia E. Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy. It was re-published in 2000 as Lilith's Brood, a far inferior title, in my opinion. I got my copy at a yard sale, where it was boxed with an assortment of sci-fi and thriller novels. When I saw the title on the spine, I grabbed that sucker like my life depended on it! Lilith's Brood would likely not even garner my notice (please compare the crappiness of the re-print's cover). The short of it is that various military powers went at it with ICBMs, killing pretty much everyone in populated areas, irradiating most of the world's biosphere, and generally f*cking the whole damn planet. It just so happens the Oankali were hanging out, monitoring Earth to see if it was worthwhile to offer a gene trade to our fledgling species. They were so upset to see that our self-annihilation was not agreed upon by the whole of Earth's population that they did something unprecedented: they rescued us.

And I know if I don't put Mad Max on here as a source of inspiration, I may be subject to catcalls and booing :P What I like about the apocalyptic aspect of the movie is that the downfall of humanity has no clear cause that's fleshed out. From vague references and the general feel of the movie, we can assume that a global war has caused the dissolution of civilization as we now know it, leaving people to live in a quasi-communist/quasi-feudal society. Communist because small groups of people have turned insular, pooling resources to survive, and feudal because they fall prey to roving bands of marauders who demand "tribute" from the communities that fall within their "territory." If you've seen the movie, then you know what happens when they don't get what they want.

In all of these dystopic films, do you notice the bad guys tend to have the cooler wardrobes??? Next post: apocalyptic fashion in exquisite detail!

Hallowe'en 2011 - Footwear Fabulosity

2011-08-24T15:22:00.003-04:00

So I just spent an HOUR looking for a particular page I'd seen on making hoof boots, because it lists a specific eBay seller in Germany who sells heel-less boots for waaaaaay cheaper than the North American sellers. Thank you, thank you, thank you, The Heels Commando for your Pony Boots Project! The seller is Ruby-Fashion, who offers heel-less boots starting at just 1.99 Euros. Commando mentions that the boots she bought were rather cheaply made (not surprising) and definitely recommends bidding, as opposed to Buy It Now. So that'll be $60 CAD including the shipping if no one bids against me for the boots I want.

Eich, white... BUT, they're polyvinyl, so I can literally get a can of Krylon in nude/beige/cream and spray paint them! Then it's just a matter of making the hoof portion and painting it gold. My biggest concern, however, is that Commando said the customer service from Ruby-Fashion was abysmal, and considering I'd like these here in say, 3 weeks after ordering so that I have time to customize them.... Yeah, it worries me a smidgeon.

I'm getting awfully frustrated by the lack of affordable fetish footwear out there! Once again, if anyone knows of or has a pair of pre-loved pony/heel-less shoes or boots in size 7.5 or 8, I'd love to know about them!

Keep Crafty :D

How to Look Fabulous After the Apocalypse

2011-08-20T23:59:00.006-04:00

Yet another Etsy treasury! This one is inspired by the Apocalyptic Fashion Swap going on at Craftster.

How to Look Fabulous After the Apocalypse

Tattered Romance

2011-08-11T19:28:00.002-04:00

I spend FAAAAR too much time perusing all the amazing talent on Etsy. Today, I was inspired by a single little handbag to make a new treasury featuring an elegant variety of Victorian-esque fashions and accessories. The selection is intended to be representative of a variety of techniques and aesthetics that incorporate the Victorian sensibility.

Tattered Romance

Must-Have Knitwear

2011-08-07T05:05:00.003-04:00

Earlier this year, I posted about some AMAZING spring fashions in lovely beige tones. I'm sooooo in love with Modcloth's Braid New World, now sold out.

It just so happens I found another resource (on Ravelry, no less) that may allow me to actually make a version. Amy King has shared a pattern for a holey cable!

While we're here, how 'bout some buy-able yarn-love? :D

Or some DIY goodies!

Anthropologie Inspired Head Wrap on Ravelry

Sideways braid bolero on Ravelry

High waisted knit shorts on A Personal Style Diary

LOOOOOVE the shorts! Her method doesn't have a real crotch piece, however, making the pattern unsuitable for my large derriere. I've already tested this method with a crochet pattern a few months ago and it just doesn't work for me. Going to have to learn short rows for this one!

You can see in this photo how there is a bulge and creases pointing away from her crotch, so even her slim figure needs those short rows. Gosh, she's stylish, though!

And my ultimate favourite yarn-crafter:

Babukatorium on Craftster

Babukatorium on Craftster

She has a Flickr photostream AND and Etsy store! <3

Keep Crafty :D

Hallowe'en 2011 - Uni-Horn for My Unicorn (And What Should I Put on My Feet???)

2011-05-28T21:37:00.003-04:00

Guess what I'm finally blogging about! A few weeks ago, I messaged Metal Water Studio if I could share their AMAZING Uni-Horn. K Firor said no problemo, and would I like to order it the first week of June? :P

I LOVE how realistic this looks! You can see a slight translucency from the latex shell, and the person who painted it did a GREAT job! I'm pretty firm on wanting a gold colour scheme, I think, and this is already close to what I want. A little brighter and more metallic, but that's about it!

Let's talk about SHOES!

I really like the Ascot from Punitive Shoes. I'd get them in matte white and then paint them to match the horn. The only problem is, of course, the €160 price tag...

I can get similar shoes for only $130 USD that don't have the horseshoes on the bottom, which is just fine. They're leather, too! These also I would get in white or possibly in "gold" or "wheat" coloured leather and then paint them. Still, a little higher than I can afford...

In the same price range at $135 USD, but only available in black leather or black patent, are the really neat looking Femme-12 from Devious. I think these would be slightly easier to walk and dance in than the Ballet series, such as Ballet-18.

The most cost-effective option is to make my own "heel-less" shoes. The real-deal that are designed that way can cost quite a bit, but if I can find the right shoe to butcher and get a hold of the right materials, I can do it fairly cheap. There are LOTS of tutorials out there on modifying shoes or boots into hooves. Here's a great tutorial from Boots, the Pony-Boy. It involves latex and epoxy and is quite labour intensive.

And I could copy ArtSquish's old method of molded latex filled with foam. Her new method is some sort of two-part rubber thing that looks amazing, is heavier, and leaves awesome cloven hoofprints! I doubt I'd be able to copy it, though, and I certainly don't have the $300 she wants to custom make me a pair.

There's also the option of wooden hooves attached to heel-chopped shoes using automotive epoxy. I couldn't find the exact photo I'm thinking of but this page has a shoe done with what seems to be fibreglass epoxy. I'd rather use "Bondo" because it's super easy to sand the pre-mixed stuff (no over-hardening!), unlike fibreglass epoxy which is hard as a rock once cured, unless you didn't use enough hardener, in which case it NEVER cures.

Another option is to make digitigrade legs using two-by-fours with a shoe attached to hold my foot in. It would have to be laceable to keep my foot firmly against the two-by-four. I need my weight on my heel, not my toes, which is what I learned about ballet fetish shoes. Simply search Google or YouTube for making digitigrade legs and you'll see some interesting wood-and-shoe contraptions. This is by far the cheapest option because I have easy access to two-by-fours, furniture foam and plenty of leather to make a foot-holding apparatus.

I'm still looking for pre-loved pony shoes and coming up empty (size 7 in case you have a pair to sell!), so I'll need to make a decision by the end of summer about what style I would make if I can't get what I actually want. QQ Maybe I'll get an awesome job and just buy a pair...

Hippie Pants = Epic Fail = Little-Girl Skirt

2011-05-28T20:31:00.004-04:00

A couple of years ago, I made these awesome bell-bottoms out of jeans that totally bit the dust at the knees:

I went to a friend's house a couple weeks ago wearing these and wouldn't ya know it, RIIIIIIIIP! There's now a giant split across one butt-cheek! The denim is dying in other places as well, so I'll have to make a pair of shorts to attach the legs to.

I have another pair with ripped knees, and several people have requested a tutorial, so another pair of hippie jeans WAS my plan.

I had these adorable fabrics picked out and ready to rock:

The process is easy, just tedious. Doesn't it look sooooo cute gathered into tiers?

Unfortunately, I made a costly mistake right at the beginning of it all. I had measured the leg opening of the jeans, BUT DIDN'T DOUBLE IT. *facepalm* Because of said mistake, I made the executive decision to save all that work and make a tiered hippie butterfly skirt for a certain 5 year old girl.

She likes bugs :P

Hallowe'en 2011 - Who Wants to be a Sparkly Naked Unicorn?

2011-05-15T01:00:00.002-04:00

I DO! I DO!

That's my concept sketch, surrounded by construction notes (as seen on Craftster's H-2011 Costume-Along). There's only six months til Hallowe'en, so I need to make sure I've got all my bases covered with such a unique costume! In this post I'm going to talk about my inspirations and goals.

*CAUTION: Adult content ahead! If you are offended by nudity or adult themes/situations, skip to the next post!*

So I bet you're saying to yourself, "why the heck would someone over the age of 12 want to dress up as a unicorn?" Firstly, I love a challenge! There are aspects of this costume that go waaaay beyond a white fleece single-suit with a horned hood and rainbow yarn-hair. Secondly, why SHOULDN'T I try to recapture the magic of unicorns I experienced as a child? Hallowe'en is an opportunity to suspend reality and let the magical be real. Thirdly, I have the chance to demonstrate that unicorns CAN be sensual and adult in a non-pornographic manner. It's not fair to limit unicorns to either childhood fantasies or sexualized fantasies. This costume can let me celebrate womanhood and sensuality in a non-threatening, yet non-stereotypical way. Ok, so maybe the insecure will be threatened. I'm going to be a sparkly naked unicorn, after all.

Let us settle what my intended vision is NOT. It is not this, though his hand-hooves are adorable:

Nor is it this, except for his magnificent tail which I'd like to copy but have no idea how it was made or attached to his rear:

And it's about as far from these as I can possibly get:

Thankfully the last one is SUPPOSED to be tounge-in-cheek. If she was going for sexualized-image-of-childhood in a serious manner, I'd shudder a little harder.

I'm aiming for something far more majestic and legitimately magical-seeming. These images are more near the mark:

Then there are the westernized versions of the Kirin/Quirin/Qirin/Qi Lin/etc. Terrifying creatures, but very majestic.

That's it for the inspirational awesomeness. My next costuming post will include construction details and accessories I'll need.

PR Contest - Knock-Off 2011 - Getting Started

2011-05-10T20:52:00.001-04:00

I've decided to enter only Pattern Review's Knock-Off 2011 contest so as not to overburden myself. Besides, I have the materials I need for it close at hand. I'm making my version of a leather-front top from ASOS and a pair of fringed shorts from TopShop.

So what do I need to get this ball rolling? A t-shirt, some leather, a pair of jeans, and brown dye!

I'm going to look through my leather stash and see if I have a wider piece. I just grabbed whatever out of the bag for the sake of the photo. That's also not the pair of jeans I'm using! This pair has a hole in the crotch, but again, just the first pair I grabbed for the pic :P

So my plan of attack is to dye both the top and the pants with a weak mixture of the brown dye, plus some onion skins to get the colour a little more to the orange side of things. For the shorts, I'll cut the pants off, slit the side seams open and sew in long pieces from the legs. I'll cut the fringe afterwards. The top will be almost as easy! I need to cut off the hem and neckline, cut a piece out of the front and insert a leather panel. TADAA!

Happy crafting! :D

DIY Distraction: New Life for Old Pants

2011-05-09T02:40:00.002-04:00

I've been wandering around Cut Out & Keep lately, mainly because I want to share tutorials and get some exposure for my webshop, Binary Catfish Meta-Fashion. Sloooooow going on that front! On topic, I happen to have a pile of jeans from both my hunny and his brother. I'd been keeping them to someday recycle them into a big denim quilt, BUT! Wouldn't it be waaaay more fun to refashion them into something wearable and cool???

Like a cropped jacket!

Or a dress!

Or a top!

Or a really unique skirt!

Recycling is stylish! Those are my favourite how-to pages on Cut Out & Keep for jeans, but there are plenty more out there. Got a hole in the crotch? Ripped knees? No worries! There's a tute out there somewhere to help you recon them into something awesome!

You could make a ruffled skirt!

Or a sweet little vest!

Or just vamp up a vest!

Or bring the legs up top to make a sweetheart dress!

Or a classic jeans purse!

Or if you're feeling REALLY ambitious, you could go all urban-nomad and make a wicked maxi-skirt!

Happy Crafting!

:D

Spring Fashions I Want to Wear (Part 2)

2011-05-05T14:48:00.001-04:00

Oh, ModCloth! Why must you tease me so!

I absolutely MUST make a version of this!

Although it's now on sale for half price, it's still $50 USD... I'm not even done my Rodarte-inspired sweater (as seen in Part 1), but I'm already looking at knitting patterns I can alter into a decent facsimile. I'm disappointed with my findings, so I guess I'll just combine a top-down raglan and fudge the cables as I go. Heh, this coming from a woman who doesn't knit :P I like Licorice Whip because there are reference points for the centre-front and centre of the sleeve.

While on the topic of delicious spring fashions, here's a few more drool-worthy items from ModCloth that hit on that ecru-sheer-lace trend:

*sigh* Damn this lack of an infinite closet and a lifestyle worthy of said closet...

Store Update!

2011-04-29T05:05:00.002-04:00

I've got a few more items up on Binary Catfish Meta-Fashion!

A retro Ribkoff yachting outfit:

A zebra with attitude:

And a pair of fantastic cardigan sweaters! One is super-snuggly mohair, and the other is a perfect-for-spring cotton :D

Going to have a few more accessories going up in the days to come!

:D

PatternReview Contests - Vintage Pattern 2011 and Knock-Off 2011

2011-04-28T23:18:00.002-04:00

I've still got a few days to think about it, but I'm considering entering one or two of May's contests on PatternReview, seeing as how I have a sewing machine at my disposal for a couple weeks. Besides, I love having new clothes, and new clothes for cheap is even better! This way, I can tailor the season's trends to my own tastes and budget.

The Vintage Pattern 2011 contest stipulates that patterns need to be older than 1968 (before the "new sizing"). I sorted through my burgeoning collection and came up with Vogue 5701 from 1962. I sorted through some fabrics I have stashed away and came up with an ancient bedsheet that might fit the bill. I may use a sand and pink floral bedsheet instead (more trendy), but I'm not sure where's it's hiding, so no photo of it.

A funny thing about this pattern: It's uncut AND factory-folded. If it was re-folded, it was done very expertly. Now, for some bizarre reason, it is worth LESS ($42.52) than if it was cut but complete ($75.00). *Scratch scratch* I don't get it. Good thing I only paid 50 cents for it.

The other contest, Knock-Off Contest 2011, is a little more complicated. I found WAAAAY too many cool things I want to knock-off!!!! Aw crap :P Multiple entries are allowed, but then you end up competing with yourself. It's better to make just one really awesome thing. However, I don't want to make a couture gown, or a tailored jacket, which would "wow" the voters but take an inordinate amount of time and effort to pull off. Plus, I want something I can fit into my daily lifestyle with relative ease.

I have a fantastic bedsheet for a Betsey Johnson knock-off:

I have 4 panels of black and white houndstooth that used to be curtains, but one would be enough for these Forever21 shorts:

Speaking of shorts, these two pairs at TopShop are PHENOMENAL! I know I could recon an old pair of jeans into the sand fringed shorts (I even have brown dye and bleach on hand), and I have a bunch of beige acrylic yarn and some nude spandex to make the crazy wool ruffle shorts.

ASOS has TONS of awesome stuff I know I could make with a couple days of effort. I already made a fringed-shoulder top, but what's another?

I've long loved the patchworky denim idea. I owned the cutest pair of jeans in public school that had slashes up the thighs with a pink floral fabric behind them. These shorts would be pretty easy to do, seeing as how I have so many old jeans sitting around (there's supposed to be a quilt in my future, but not yet, apparently).

Then there's the fact that I have a bunch of leather leftover from my Assassin's Creed 2 project. Just so happens I have a tan top I can use to make a reasonable facsimile of one of these leather-front tops:

So now it's a matter of choosing the design with the highest overall score: easy/timely to execute, fits my lifestyle, visual impact/viewer reaction. The Betsey Johnson skirt and houndstooth shorts are short on visual impact. The crazy wool shorts would take longer than the fringe shorts or patched shorts, and of those the fringe shorts have more visual impact. I don't really have the right materials for the fringe shoulder top, but I DO have what I need for a leather-front top.

Conclusion: I will make fringe shorts and a leather-front top. Self-competition be damned :P

Spring Fashions I Want to Wear (Part 1)

2011-04-28T02:05:00.001-04:00

I think I'm going to start a series to keep me posting more often. Here's some goodies I LOVE and can totally make so I can stop drooling and start strutting :D

BurdaStyle is an AMAZING source of inspiration. When I saw mnavoy's Grunge Sweater, I HAD to have one!

Up until I saw it, I could hardly knit. This sweater caused a flurry of Ravelry and Google searching. I finally settled on a Drops Design by Garn Studio pattern to base it on (Garn Studio page, Ravelry page).

I frogged a half dozen times, but I finally got it going! I'm using a charcoal mohair blend and a smokey acrylic.

I'm taking a break from it, but the front panel is almost finished! I cast on 30 with 12mm needles, working a pattern of 3 stockinette and one drop stitch, with the 3rd row of stockinette for the colour change.

Everyone who's anyone knows that this is the year of sheer and lace! In that vein, there have been a pazillion iterations of sheer and lace skirts with a short slip built in (or not)

That's $46 USD for what is basically a yard of polyester chiffon. In my opinion, it IS a fair price if it were hand-made with decent stitching, but not for a piece of industrially-batched crap that may or may not fall apart in the wash even set to the delicates cycle. I plan to follow in the footsteps of iamrotkappchen and Georgia Delaney and make my own for waaaay less AND with much higher quality standards! (click the pix to go to the BurdaStyle project pages)

I used to have sheer cream curtains, darnit... I don't know if I left them up at a place I rented or if I packed them away somewhere. They WERE quite ugly, but would be perfect for THIS! AGH! Maybe I'll luck out and find sheer curtains at a thrift store, but so far, nada...

Happy Spring, everyone!

.

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!

2011-04-13T02:34:00.002-04:00

My very own WEBSITE! Courtesy of Weebly, may I please present:

Binary Catfish Meta-Fashion

YAY! It's small and simple, but hey, I used a free site-builder and made it ALL BY MYSELF!

I finally got some photos taken of my creations that are worthy of a for-sale website, but it was quite the challenge! I can't model and take photos at the same time, and my lovely boyfriend showed surprising non-camera-savvy patience with the whole process. I still have to get my logo finished in digital form, but all I really need is some cute girls to wear my clothes, and other (or the same) cute girls to BUY my clothes :D
.

Spring on a Stick Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

2011-03-27T18:51:00.002-04:00

She's done it again!

Spring on a Stick Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

Yet another amazing chunk of creativity :D Dunno how she finds time to do all this awesome sewing with children running all over her house :P I love how she styled it in this post.

Gender Perception -> Perception of Self -> Clothing as Perception Filter

2011-03-12T02:45:00.003-05:00

Recently, Peter of Male Pattern Boldness wrote about the phenomenon of men who dress as women. As often happens, reading the comments to this particular entry got me thinking of my own experiences, my own psychology, and the extrapolations I can make.

I was often mistaken for a boy. That's not to say I hated clothes! I LOVED clothes and picked my own outfits right from kindergarten. Mother took me second-hand shopping on a regular basis, which was so inexpensive that only my favourite outfits were preserved against rambunctious play. I was in a tree or playing with G.I. Joes more often than I played with Barbies or My Little Ponies, once my brother was old enough to do "cool" things with me. As a 12 yr old girl, I was "one of the boys" and that's the reason I got a mushroom cut; it was cool on boys, so why not! Right up to age 14, most of my friends were boys, or girls who didn't care to be "girly." Then I suddenly found myself saddled with a woman's body... Fascinating at first, but now that I'm nearly 27, it's a bizarre simpatico between comfortable and tiresome!

Sometimes I hate my body for how others perceive it. I often wear nothing more flamboyant than casual jeans and a cute top, and men of all ages have rubber-necked to stare at me. This is unsettling when I've done nothing to deserve such intense attention, except exist. My defence mechanism has long been to wear something outrageous so people have a reason to notice me. Almost like if I can make the symbol more noticable than the actuality, I have something to hide behind. Suddenly the attention becomes a positive thing because I've manipulated people into giving a certain reaction. It is not I that is being scrutinized, but rather my carefully contrived presentation of self. It is then that I feel the most powerful, that I can influence another person's perception of me just by making a conscious choice to wear a particular garment. Conversely, I feel weakest, most exposed, when I just want to relax and have somehow drawn attention just the same.

An issue I have not thought logically about in a very long time.

As a related aside, I'd seen this spread and adored the clothing (it may have been via Outsapop; WANT the chain-embroidered leather jacket), but seriously never realized that the model is a man.

*EDIT* Yep, it was on Outsapop.

Heel Condoms: Say WHAT?!?!

2011-03-08T23:49:00.003-05:00

Many moons ago, I saw this intriguing post on Outsapop.

This is only one image of the work of a knitwear student named Gyu. She does some really interesting things! I'd actually forgotten all about this image until recently, when I was catching up on my fashion reading.

Today I read THIS!

That's right. A product called "Heel Condoms." Now, while the idea is intriguing, it's not new. The name is mildly offensive, but is mostly a gimmick I can look beyond. They are interesting and pretty enough that I'd actually probably buy a pair if I saw them at a market stall. What IRKS me, however, is the sheer CHEAPNESS of the product! Yes, they are very inexpensive, but there's a reason! UGH! Not only is each Heel Condom literally condom-like in that the heel-tap is covered and will quickly be destroyed by any actual walking, but the sleeve itself is striated by ugly little elastic gatherings which presumably allow them to fit a variety of stiletto shapes and sizes. Additionally, they are held up at the top by an elastic band that goes over the opening of the shoe and is mashed down into the footbed by your foot.

In my opinion, they ARE quite pretty, and I'm a girl who likes my weird accessories. Would YOU buy these? Or would you, like myself, prefer a better-engineered version before laying down your hard-earned $25? Would you be willing to pay MORE for a better-engineered version? I'm thinking that I would.

***EDIT***

A seemingly glowing review containing photos exemplifying the cheap-in-bad-way appearance of Heel Condoms. I can hear Tim Gunn in my head right now: "Enh, they're looking a little... cheap." And someone agrees with me.

Click the photo for super-size. Although I believe the tag visible through the sheer material is obvious enough, it's hard to see the multitude of unsnipped threads and unfinished edges in this small version. Apparently they ARE open at the bottom, because I see a tiny little hem.

Still intrigued by the concept, but disgusted by the execution.

Ruffled Crop Top Tutorial

2011-02-12T09:20:00.002-05:00

I love that ruffled bit of awesomeness so much, I'm sharing my method with the world :D You can read the Craftster version of the tute HERE.

Materials: one lame tshirt that fits. I got my boy's 6x shirt at a thrift store. Optional: lace trim, chain trim, or any other cool embellishments.

You can also cut out the neckline, as I did, and either leave it raw or embellish it further. I hand-stitched chain around the neckline to maintain the "toughness" that the eagle print and army drab colour lends to the piece.

If you make a version, don't forget to post a link to your photo in the comments :D

A Little Boy Grows Up... Into a Sexy Girl :P (Plus: Crop Tops as a Trend)

2011-02-08T20:55:00.002-05:00

That cracks me up every time I think about it! I entered Craftster's Challenge 59: Super Ugly to Super Awesome. You can read my entry HERE.

Before:

A size 6x boy's tee from the local Salvation Army. It was stuff-a-bag day, so this is one of MANY goodies I brought home that day :D

After:

Crop tops were hot last summer, and considering the continuing strength of 80s looks that the general populace is wearing, I don't doubt we'll continue to see crop tops this year.

Some people hate the look, like Sydne at Think Thru Fashion. Daniel P. Dykes at Fashionising likes the look with reservations. Fashion Online Malaysia and College Candy both urge trend-lovers to wear their crop tops the "right" way (I will note that the College Candy article is definitely cheap in their examples). Brandish discusses the oddity of the trend for men. Elle.com features the look in the Australian Fashion Week Spring 2010-11 trend line-up (technically, everything down-under is a season BEHIND the northern hemisphere, so it corresponds to Spring 2010).

For the link-phobic, some pix from the above links in corresponding sequence.

I really adore the Sara Phillips leather crop top, but those blue-grey satin pants just KILL me! LOL!

Yet ANOTHER New Hobby! Plus Rapunzel.

2011-02-03T21:39:00.002-05:00

I've taken up spinning. Not the sweaty, furious pedalling of a stationary cycle with 20 other people in a tiny room full of mirrors. I mean spinning. For months and months, I oohed and aahed, and finally dove into researching what it's all about. After reading everything I could find on the internet, I splurged on this kit from "Maine Woods Yarn and Fiber" on Etsy:

It seemed to be the best value I could find on Etsy. At a mere $27.99 for a heavy spindle and 4 ounces of wool plus free shipping, I figured the worst that could happen is I would hate it and give it away. I paid via PayPal, so it shipped pretty much immediately, and it got here in hardly more than a real-time week. Well, it turns out I LOVE spinning! Here's some of the fruits of my labours:

Cherry KoolAid dyed roving, navajo plied with red Valentine pony beads. 12.8 metres. It was actually spun on a makeshift spindle made from a CD stack divider and a 9mm crochet hook, because my spindle actually had this on it:

It's kinda corespun, kinda coreless corespun, kinda semi-worsted-ish everything-yarn. There's bead garlands, yarn, nylon crap for making hanging plant holders, ribbon, lace, etc. Never measured because I immediately turned it into this:

The latest is this:

Believe it or not, that's cotton-fluff hamster bedding. My mouse HATES it, so rather than let the bag of what remained sit there useless, I turned it into yarn! This has been appropriated into my Rapunzel Scarf, which I've organized into six bundles of goodies, but have not yet braided. You can check out the swap gallery HERE.

I know heavy spindles are supposed to be for bulky yarns, but I gotta say, plying commercial yarns is a BREEZE on my Maine Woods spindle! I think next I'll get a mid-weight top-whorl for navajo-plied worsted weight yarns.

:D

My First ATC (plus: I'm Swapping)

2011-01-02T06:15:00.010-05:00

I have long been intrigued by ATCs. Every time I see a new one in the Recent Projects line-up on Craftster, I am once again filled with wonder at the tininess of these works of art. It just so happens that I love arty things as much as crafty things, but I never got up the nerve to try an ATC. Until NOW!

I recently joined a new website called Swap-Bot. It's a part-time, two-person website that allows people to run swaps, join swaps, get swapping feedback, then swap some more! I joined the "Nervous Newbies" swap SPECIFICALLY to try out ATCs, because the whole point of that swap is to try something you've never done, or practice something you're new at. And then I saw the "Graceful Geisha ATC Swap." Drats, I want to join that one, too! I haven't yet, because I honestly don't think I should. For one, I don't have a colour printer (or rather, no ink for the one in storage), so my first ATC and two in-progress cards all have grey-scale printed backgrounds. I'm worried that if I joined a REAL ATC swap, my recipient would be disappointed by that. Couple that with having to cut my paper bits with a pocket knife because my boyfriend's scrapbooking blades are MIA... Besides, those ATCers are waaaaaaay talented, and I'd hate to disappoint my partner(s). If only I had been more into papercrafting while growing up... I thought cut-and-paste activities at school were boring, and I never "got" the whole deal about scrapbooking (I still don't). And here I am over a quarter century old, just starting with it :P At least ATCs are multimedia, not JUST paper, so I don't need a Cricut or whatever just to "participate in the community." *wiggle my eyebrows*

Aw, well... Here she is, "Yuki," meaning snow. Printed greyscale background coloured with markers and pencil crayons, the image being taken from the Library of Congress website (it's an ink drawing). Yuki herself is drawn with ink, marker and pencil crayon. She is pieced, and I actually started with her face, added her neck, drew the kimono/obi seperately, drew her arm/hand seperately. That's her second kimono, as the first was far too large. Her hair is fake Mongolian sheep fur with a scrap of orange yarn wrapping her bun. The snow are tiny squares of plain white paper. The kanji is "yuki."

I've been feeling very melancholy and depressed, so I suppose you can view her as a fair representation of my inner well-being (as well as the two that are in progress). Funnily enough, the snow had NOT just begun to fall when I made her, it was 6 feet deep in some places! It took only two days for a lot of it to melt. Yeesh. Thanks, New Year, you've ruined my ice fishing plans...

In other swapping news, I'm in the Rapunzel Scarf Yarn Swap. I've requested any and all shades of pink plus neutrals, more or less. I sent a clarification/"J'ai des questions" message to them, and hopefully they don't think I'm a complete dingbat for asking for bits of fur and pompom trim... Anyway, I have a couple goodies in my own stash earmarked for my scarf, and I'm going to ask Todd's mom if I may raid her yarn stash. I've started pondering about what my 3 partners will get, and have all their info and preferences writ down on 3 separate pieces of paper that I'll fold into a sort of little folder to put the bits and bobs inside until I am ready to mail them off. I have to hurry the eff up and finish my Twist and Shout crocheted socks, so I can include the yummy hand-dyed merino lace yarn in their packages (it's freaking rainbow, so why not!). If you're on Ravelry, you can go check out my project.

Mama's Holiday Wish List Meme (GIVEAWAY)

2010-12-10T18:34:00.004-05:00

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to:http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

To actually see them. My aunt always hosts, but her husband has passed away. Thinking of Christmas without him is sad already, but now I may not have a Christmas at all because she doesn't want to host our get-together, and my parent's don't seem too welcoming, either.

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?

The uncle who passed started our tradition of a potluck gifting table. Now, though... Other than that, we don't eat dinner til someone spots a star, or if it's too cloudy, that we're reasonably sure you COULD see a star but for the clouds. And that's after not eating all day except a piece of toast in the morning.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

Decadent? I'd settle for a month-long holiday in Japan, I think :P

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

Welllll, you'll need some money, but baking cookies and stuff is always fun, because after you just sit around and stuff yourself.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

None Christmas-related. Being Ukrainian changes things a bit. We do, however, throw kutya at the ceiling. If it sticks, we're in for a good year.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

The vodka. But only because Dad makes me :P I was 12 when I had my first Christmas shot, so I guess that counts? We don't do the whole Santa and reindeer and gingerbread houses thing so these questions are actually kinda hard!

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?

Really?!?! Really REALLY!?!!? Oh wow, if I could, I'd grab my hunny-muffin and run off to Japan. Assuming limitless funds, of course. The reality is, I'm having North American Christmas with his family, and seemingly no Ukie Christmas.

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

More DS games! I want to try Crafting Mama, but I'd LOVE some old-school Nintendo games like Mario Brothers, Mega Man, ok, anything! I'm so sick to death of Tetris :P

------------------------------

So how bout you, tiny set of followers? How would you answer these questions? Please note the contest ends tonight, December 10.

Grosgrain Giveaway of Possumtasticness!

2010-07-12T23:23:00.004-04:00

Eech, I been so bad about not posting on this here thingie. In fact, have hardly posted on Craftster, my main outlet :P Amazing to think people have actually added my blog to their lists...

Anyways, as always, the fabulous Grosgrain has pulled sheer genius out of her bag of tricks (haha, "sheer"), and is giving away THIS!

The Naiad Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

Like OMG HOLY CRAP THAT IS AMAZING!

Just seeing it is soooo inspiring! If I were to make something similar, I think I'd make mine longer in a non-sheer, less formal fabric for more "everyday" sort of wearing, but come ON! Give the lady props!!!

September was my last post?!?! Here's a costume and a skirt.

2010-01-23T01:45:00.007-05:00

Obviously I've done alot since September. School has left me very busy and stressed, and life has left me very depressed. I'm not going to Japan, I had to drop two of my winter classes because I'm out of money. I need a job, but I'm messed up and have a lot of schoolwork. Dear god, I hope I get those bursaries...

NOW! On to the crafting and fashion of awesomeness! I haven't done as much as I've wanted (psha, isn't that always the case), but I did get some stuff done.

First up, my Hallowe'en costume! I decided my Xena costume just WILL NOT DO! I've worn it 7 times in 13 years. Nuhuh, no more. Well maybe, but not this year. So I needed another strong female character as my alter ego. BEHOLD! She-Ra! The Princess of Power!!!!

I was already quite in the bag when this photo was taken, so please forgive the extraordinary goofiness. To give a better idea of the details:

That was ALOT of work. I used BurdaStyle's Lydia for the top with a point in the front, made a modified ovular circle skirt so that it'd long enough in the back, and the first head-wing was a total epic fail. The gems needed the silver crap sanded off the backs and were painted with nail polish, and rayon thread does NOT like playing a strength role. I just liked the shininess... I also made my own matching panties and butchered those sandals and added gold rope (they almost fell off my feet at least 5 times at the bar). So for next year, I need to add spats, gauntlets, a choker and a red cape. And I might redo the neckline, because it just looks sloppy (but it's attached REALLY well, arg).

I think the only truly sad thing about this whole costume is that maybe 3 people at the bar recognized who I was: 2 gay guys in their late 20s/early 30s, and one young woman dressed as Anne Boleyn. I was asked several times by the barely-legals if I was Sailor Moon *facepalm*

Guess what?!?! I FINALLY used the pheasant fabric my boyfriend's mom bought me! YAY! It turned out SUPER cute! I used BurdaStyle's Marie for the front, a Simplicity "sewing workshop" pattern from 1992 for the back, and shortened it by... oh god, like 7 inches. AFTER basting it together. I wish I'd known it was stupid-long before I'd cut the fabric. I also had to take the waist in ALOT because it's meant to sit about an inch below the natural waist. I wanted it AT my waist, and because there's such a huge difference between my hips and waist (about 10 inches), I had to take out almost 3 inches through the darts and back seam.

Wardrobe Refashion - First Refashion of Sept/Oct

2009-09-05T03:53:00.009-04:00

So I have signed up for another 2 month stint at Wardrobe Refashion. When this is done, I'll have been a member for 6 months. Why don't I just sign up for life? Well, because I'm going to Japan next year to teach English as a second language (gotta pay off my student loans somehow). Now, you can't expect me to live in Japan and not spend money. That's like leaving a kid in a candy shoppe. It'll probably be mostly fabrics and folk art stuff, but hey, I still want the option of opting out of WR without having to rescind a lifetime commitment.

Anyways, my first refashion of this stint was made from a shirt Mumsie got at Value Village for her brother, Wally:

Too bad for Uncle Wally that it didn't fit :( So Mum gave it to me, saying that she knew I could "do something with it." Hehe, she was right!

Toddalicious now has RAWR undies :D There was just barely enough fabric (Todd has a 34 inch waist, 36 inch low waist, and the shirt is "asian" XL, meaning it runs small). I've since adjusted the pattern I made from his old undies, as the original is a little snug. These are actually undies #2. I made the first ones out of that gorgeous blue patterned stretch satin in my Fall Fashion post. He is actually very happy with them, even though they are slightly snug. He IS disappointed that he has no air vent in the front, though. I guess I need to learn button plackets for undies...

Camping Swap is Good to Go! Plus Iraqi Bundles of Love (IBOL)

2009-08-31T20:51:00.007-04:00

YAYYYYYYY!
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I sent my package to my partner and 6 of the other 8 camping cards. Somehow, 2 of my camping cards lost pieces in transit, so I'll fix them and send them off tomorrow. I can't WAIT to post what I sent my partner!!!! I'm really proud of one of the things I sent her, so much so that I wish I could have kept it :P We never do these awesome things for ourselves, though, do we? Hehe!
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If you want to check out the swap gallery, where we'll be posting our goodies as they're recieved, go HERE. The link in the first post is to our discussion thread. *EDIT* I am most proud of this:
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In other news, check out Iraqi Bundles of Love. I thought it was a scam until I read his blog. I wish I could participate, but I won't make the September 7th send-out date due to lack of funds. I just spent 20 bucks on sending envelopes and a bubble mailer :P

Fall Fashion to Look Forward To! And Why I'm Excited :D

2009-08-30T00:18:00.021-04:00

Well, guess what? I took the last year off from school because I was burned out and actually managed to fail a few classes (including my thesis because I totally lost interest in doing research). The goal was to get my life in order by pondering my priorities, motivations and goals. I did alot of that. I also did alot of nothing :P Ok, well, not NOTHING, but not much.

So here I sit, less than 2 weeks away from my fifth year of university! Click the logo above if you want to check out my school's website. I'll be re-taking the math class I failed, and instead of doing a thesis or other full-year research project, I'm taking a half-year research project and a course called Applied Anthropology. Those three things are all I need to get my Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (Honours Program, which is 4 years instead of 3). I'm rounding out my course-load with 5 Native Studies classes, which I've already taken... 4 of? Maybe 5. Or 6. I'd have to check my transcript. I'm wondering if it's enough credits to count as a minor. I have to take all 8 courses to qualify for yet another student loan. I'm already up to my eyeballs, but it's either that or give up on an education.

Naturally, going back to school necessitates a discussion of fashion!

Having been out of the public eye for the last 16 months, my fashion choices were usually dictated by comfort and wearability. I chose a hoodie over a chic cashmere sweater, for example. Not to say that ALL of my "everyday" wardrobe is un-fashionable. I've been wearing my fringed black leather motorcycle jacket now that the evenings are getting distinctly cooler, and I've been wearing my purple wool/mohair overcoat at night almost all summer. Most of my tops are casual but generally "nice," like my sailor-striped tank tops with lingerie lace at the hems, or my extra-long tanks in hip colours like yellow, orange, olive and coral. I'm more upset about bottoms, which is why I have added the "angry face" tag to this post. Most of my nicer jeans are too small. Or rather, my butt is too big :( I hate to say it, but I've definitely put on weight. Ten pounds is NOT insignificant. Two of the pairs that fit are shredded at the knees. One of those pairs is getting scarily thin at the thighs and could fall apart any day now, (they ARE over a decade old, after all). My Calvin's are getting really worn at the hems. My bellbottoms shrank, so they're only barely of respectable length and get worn only when my other pants are dirty or when I don't care. Then there's my skirts! AGH! I bought *3* short skirts during spring of fourth-year (brand spanking new, so they were NOT cheap). I didn't even get to wear one of them. Now my butt is so large that they are OBSCENELY short!

So, now I shall discuss what I intend to do about these horrendous gaps in my fall wardrobe. First, I intend to EXERCISE. I have barely exercised in over a year. I have barely walked anywhere. I have been depressed, anxious about my future, and eating only once or twice a day. Hence the fatness. Secondly, I'm going to eat vegetarian as much as possible. Not to say that I'm cutting meat out. Just that I'm going to have alot of meals consisting of heaps and heaps of veggies. That will take care of my too-small jeans and my ultra-short skirts. It's not unusual for me to get results within a month when I actually *TRY* to be healthy.

I have alot of OUTRAGEOUS things that I enjoy wearing that my boyfriend just doesn't appreciate and that I've not even had much opportunity to wear lately. For example? Well, I have 2 waistcoats. Last autumn, I wore one over a sweatshirt with a Victorian-style brooch and Todd thought it was plain-and-simple wierd. Ditto with my fuschia genie-pants (NOT the same as those wretched things with the low crotch that look like you're wearing a diaper that someone for some godawful reason decided to resurrect from their 80s grave). Todd tries to ignore my motorcycle jacket because all that fringe makes his mind boggle. Let me apply the caveat that Todd does indirectly watch various iterations of Project Runway with me and can talk intelligently about fashion. There's just ALOT that he doesn't like. And now that he's seen Project Runway: Phillipines, he's always saying "If Aries was there, they'd be so screwed" or "This is crap compared to Phillipines." Ok, not always. He is slightly impressed with a design on occasion, and there is the rare "Hey, I like that!" Mostly it's "meh" or "too bloody weird" or "that looks stupid." Can't blame him, though, cuz half the time I agree :P

Stuff I really miss wearing? Well, I have an obscene white 80s belt with dangly bits at my pubis that I used to wear with my black corduroy blazer and Silver (the brand) jeans with snaps at the ankles. I used to play hackey-sack in my Steve Madden 4-inch stilleto sneaker boots. I really wish I could fit into my 70s denim catsuit (and by fit, I mean I *can* get into it right now, I just look like a sausage), as it is the pride and joy of my vintage clothing. Here it is almost 4 years ago:

So I have this thing with vintage clothes, for sure. It doesn't have to be vintage, just vintage-style. Retro, if you will. I have been keeping an eye on ModCloth for awhile now and *DROOL* I loooove their clothes! Simple tank dresses with gathered skirts, 40s-style shirtdresses (ok, ANYTHING 40s!), tulip skirts, puff sleeves, rompers, lumberjack shirts, ruffles, lace, a focus on shoulders... Wow, just, OMG! This season, there is just SO MUCH that is fashionable that I happen to *LOVE*!!!!

Like, how simple and cute is this?

Now if only BurdaStyle's JJ actually ends up in usable form instead of baggy and huge.

On an aside, I really really really HATE Blogspot's formatting. HATE IT. If you hadn't noticed before, I use a period in between my paragraphs, otherwise it refuses to preserve the double-return. On other occaisions it does THIS bullshit where I press enter once and it auto-double-returns. Halfway through a bloody post! Not to mention the picture-posting tool is a piece of garbage. It always wrecks my formatting (it adds a return between each paragraph for every effing photo you post!) and why is it that no matter where in the post my cursor is, the picture is posted to the TOP of the post??? I usually post things with the html straight out of photobucket, but when something isn't *IN* my photobucket (for example, I'm linking to a pic on someone else's website), I'm forced to use the picture-poster from hell. And I'm not packing up and leaving for the far more user-friendly TypePad. I'm established with too much info here, boohoo. I'll live. And complain.
Anyways, onwards to my fall fashion intentions! I have that Vogue jacket (view B) to finish up. Not exactly outerwear this far north, but I can leave my over-coat in the Anthro lounge (unless I wanna pony-up 10 bucks for a locker, which I haven't done in all the years I've been there).

Those are the fabrics. The green stretch-satin is the lining, the brown denim is the shell, and the bronze pleather is the accent fabric (piping and buttons), and all the exterior detail stitching is the same green as the lining. Like I said a couple posts ago, it's almost done. Just a matter of gittin'er done.
I bought some fabrics last time I was in Timmins, because Fabricland is having a moving-sale. Half-price, oooooh YEAH! I spent about $70 on well over $140 worth of supplies. I mentioned this a couple posts ago, so I'd better get to talking about it.
Here's the knits I bought, enough for at least three shirts with various combos of fabric as accents. The patterned fabric is like a bright olive green with white, 2 metres. The purple is more of a plum colour (it's pretty reddish), 2 metres. I bought only a half-metre of the pink with dots so that I wouldn't be tempted to use too much of it.

I might make something like this McCall's dress out of this GORGEOUS purple plaid wool suiting that I've been eyeballing since it was first released 2 winters ago. It went from 18 bucks per metre down to 12 per metre, down to 8 per metre in the discount area, and then with the moving sale, it became a whole 4 bucks per metre :D I bought 3 metres because I don't know precisely what I'll do with it.

There was this fabulous buttery-gold garment-vinyl in the remnant bin that my BF pounced on, thinking it'd be perfect to redo the driver's seat of his dad's Eddie Bauer Bronco. There was a total of 3.3 metres for $9.08 + tax. Too bad it's the wrong colour! It's too light, and they DID carry a slightly darker wheat colour that would match better, but it was only half-off, not remnant-bin. So I'm pondering making a short trench coat for myself out of it.

This isn't fall, but I promised I'd talk about the stuff I bought at the sale, didn't I? Todd found this gorgeous border-print fabric the previous time we'd been there (to get hunter-orange fleece for his dad's hunting shirt). I snapped it up for half-off (I think it was $5 per metre) simply because Todd liked it so much. The colours didn't quite turn out in the picture; it's lighter and not so FUSCHIA. I also got a pattern to use for it. I'll be changing the skirt to reflect ACTUAL 50s gathering techniques (at the sides or all the way around; it looks so dumb with it at the front and back). I'm doing either view A or B (sleeves or not), because I like that bateau neckline that was so popular at the time. *EDIT* I found out there's pockets on the sides made from panels that extend below the waistline from the bodice. Now I'm not sure how I'm going to alter the gathering. I'll jerry-rig something, I'm sure.

The other non-fall thing is going to be pretty cute and casual, but DEFINITELY summer, unless I visit the Phillipines or something. I figured I have one retro pattern with a full skirt, so here's a retro pattern with a straight skirt. I like view B the most, the yellow dress in the middle, as it is nice and simple for such a busy print.

An just cuz I'm at it, I'll show off the fabric I got for boyfriend-stuff. Todd is getting a pair of undies in the blue patterned stretch-satin and a long-sleeve button-down out of the fabulous plaid seersucker. Is it called seersucker? Puckery cotton, anyway.

There's some crafty things I may or may not try. I'm seriously loving the slashed top tutorial that got second place on ThreadBanger's Generation-T recon contest. The creator calls it a "fringe halter top," but it's not completely fringe, just the bottom is. You can see the photo-tute on the ThreadBanger forum. I would do it differently, though. I'd make it from scratch using a seperate collar and waistband because I want the waist part to sit at my actual waist by being tighter than the rest of the shirt. I'll figure it out.

The other thing I may or may not do involves psychotic shoulder pads. Do you read OutsaPop Trashion? Well here's all the posts about shoulder pads, and the third one down (DIY AnyWho Shoulder Decor) will lead you to AnyWho's tutorial for making removal shoulder decorations. It's weird, and it's gonna be out of style by this time next year or sooner (just like those godawful atrocities known as "hammer pants" *SHUDDER*), so I'm not sure if I'm willing to do something so wacky in a city that's not exactly known for it's fashion scene. But hey, I wandered around campus with dangly things at my crotch, and in a wool cocktail skirt and Steve Madden sneaker boots, and a 70s denim catsuit, and a pink polyester 80s neo-Victorian blouse. I went to the gay bar in denim short-shorts with silver sparkley tights under them (some people loved it, some thought it was way too hoochy). Then there's the matter of my baby-pink fur-trimmed down-filled parka. Yeah. I've worn some wierd things. Maybe I CAN handle the shoulder pads :P (Hunting down the original source of the photo below, all the way to Facehunter through Style Copycat, took some effort!!! Click it to go there).

There's a few other things I'd like to talk about, but this post is already pretty long! Holy crap, my brain vomited all this out and now I think I should go eat something :P Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments :D
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"Etsy Treasure Chest" Giveaway! Courtesy of "Geek Details"

2009-08-25T23:15:00.003-04:00

Amanda of Geek Details is offering up a print out of her shop to 3 lucky people! I, however, ADORE her buttons! My faves?
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It's okay, Pluto. I'm not a planet either.
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I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm afraid of the ninjas that hide in the dark.
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If you can read this, you're in my AGGRO RANGE.
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If you want in on this giveaway, go to Etsy Treasure Chest's post about it.
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Not so FAIL! How I saved some stuff, and things that turned out :D

2009-08-20T14:11:00.006-04:00

Let me introduce you to "Mo" the mohawked teddy bear:
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I saved his little nubby mohawk by picking it apart with a darning needle, then stitched on dark blue sparkle buttons for his little eyes, embroidered his little nose, and cut a piece off the felting-disaster of the mohawk hat for his cute little tail. My brother was in absolute awe to recieve his un-birthday gift! He was especially fond of the little Xs in his eyes and laughed at his little nub of a tail, and promptly dubbed him Mo. Mikey will be getting the new-and-improved mohawk hat for Christmas so he can match Mo.

The other unbirthday presents were Mom's 8 foot purple wool/acrylic/mohair/whatever scarf that I posted quite awhile ago, which of course blew her away, and a crocheted balaclava for dad that I somehow managed to not take pictures of. I wasn't happy with the patterns I found online, so I ended up making it up as I went. It is a bit snug to shove over his head because of the neck area, but once it's on, it fits PERFECT! Hehe, when I called him up a couple weeks ago and asked him to take some measurements of his head he was a bit confuzzled but went and took them whilst I was on "hold." I'll see if I can get pix of it soon.
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On the sewing front, I haven't been idle! Just haven't gotten the photos onto my computer, which I'll hopefully do later today.
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I butchered a Kirkland Lake Northern College shirt by tearing off the neckline and sleeves, taking in the sides, and doing that cool weaving thing on the lower back. I got it free from a friend who can't even remember how he ended up with 3 men's smalls (which fit NO ONE in his family :P), so when I saw them sitting on his cabinet I was like, coooooool, a woofie! The KLNC emblem is a wolf (actually I think Northern College in general uses the wolf), and despite the horrid cheapness of the print (bloody iron-ons), I saw the potential right away! I only took one off him, though. I didn't want to seem greedy :P
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I also tore into my "Gimme My Timmies" shirt and turned it into a very cute little top that sadly looks a bit like a cheerleader outfit! The shirt is brown and I took apart a beige longsleeve top that is the same colour as the printing for the waistband and the second ruffle, the first ruffle being more of the brown shirt. I'm not happy with the neckline because I had to seriously fudge this pleated... THING... into some semblance of a collar due to lack of fabric. Not sure exactly what I'm going to do about it yet, but at least the OVERALL effect is very cute. Todd, who is actually becoming more interested in my crafting adventures, was slightly disappointed that I didn't do the weaving thing, because he thinks the KLNC shirt is bloody hawt. Now every time I wear a tight shirt he says "you should do that slitted woven thing to this shirt," LOL!
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After that, I did something I had planned way back in February! I had been wandering around St. Vinnie's in Timmins and found myself in the crafting section (like usual), and though I don't usually find much (omg it's so hard to look through 4 boxes of patterns), I came across a poly-cotton knit that was AWESOME!!! It's definitely old-school ugly :D I don't know if it's 50s or 60s because it has an ugly floral print on beige in brown, mustard, burnt orange, burgundy, and sage, (sooo typical of 50s living rooms, hahaha!) but it's a knit and I don't know when knits became popular for CLOTHING and not just stockings. So anyways, there seemed to be a meter of it or perhaps a smidge more, so I snatched it up and went looking through the longsleeve shirts, because I IMMEDIATELY knew I wanted it for the skirt of a dress! I found a burgundy top and a burnt orange top with which to work my evil :D Since then I have done much fashion sketching, and TWICE I have sketched what I wanted to do with that stuff. Well I FINALLY did it! It's a little off, in that the skirt turned out a smidge narrow (arg my butt is too wide, hurrah for pear-ness), but overall I LOVE it! I think I'll go back and see what I can do to widen the skirt, like making it a four-panel skirt as I do have a little of the floral fabric left over. Anyways, I gave the burgundy top an inset ruffled bib and open turtle neck out of floral fabric, and the turtle neck has a tie thingie that is super adorable :D The only thing I used the burnt orange shirt for so far is the waistband, and I don't know if I'll go any further with it. In actual fact, I may take the waistband out, cuz I'm not sure I like it.
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Right now on my table is most of a shirt. You'd think I woulda figured out how to do bibs, but seriously, this one is HARDER than the first one! The fabrics are chocolate brown cotton lycra for the body and fuschia cotton lycra for accents, so they're very slick and slippery. I did finally get the bib in and it looks... ok... Not professional quality, but not OH DEAR GOD I should rip it out. It's getting puffed short sleeves (gathered this time, not pleated like the green polka dots shirt), and I'm debating putting a fuschia band around each sleeve, but definitely the collar will be fuschia.
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I just finished a hat for Mumsie, out of purplish variegated acrylic I got super cheap at WalMarx. Bought two balls, only needed one (but hey, they came in a package together). I learned double crochet (treble crochet to the Brits) for the lower edge and it looks really good :D This is her Christmas gift. I have quite a few people to make stuff for, so I'm getting a head start. It just needs the enormous pompom I have yet to make and c'est fini. I've got this fabulously soft yarn for Dad's gift, and I wanted to make him a Euro scarf (super long and somewhat skinny) but, because I have 6 effing balls of it, I may make him a little sweater vest lined in flannel. He doesn't often wear scarves, and now that he has a new balaclava, I'm not sure he'd even need one.
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What's next? Arg, I guess I'll do that mending I got shanghaid into, and then perhaps finish my fabulous mystery skirt that is STILL half-done in my storage box. Next post, I'll discuss what I got from Fabricland's awesome moving sale (although I want to go back for more! ACK!).
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EPIC FAIL!

2009-08-04T22:32:00.003-04:00

This post is gonna be all about my fails :P
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First up, faux-hawk hat! DISASTER! I put it in the wash and it is felted into a little nub that extends the whole of 3/4 inch from the hat :( The little matching teddy bear that I gave a mohawk was likewise a felting-fail. I got some more blue wool, so I'm going to cut off both mohawks and try again without the picking-apart of the yarns. I'm going to "follow the instructions" this time :P
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That waves dress from months ago? FAIL! Using my modified 60s dress pattern, it was not how I wanted it at all. So I decided I would modify it into a halter-type dress, like a pillowcase dress. It ended up too small :( I can get it on, but it's reeeeeally tight. It would look better on someone with no boobs or perhaps a young teen. I've been occasionally wracking my brain as to how I might salvage the fabric, at least. I'm kinda clueless.
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How bout the Lakeport Honey Lager tee-into-blouse? Sorta-FAIL! LOL :P I put it away because I was getting way too effing frustrated. The pattern itself was too large, so I kept having to undo stuff and take it in. This is not easy with knits. The neckline facing turned out pretty shitty, so I redid that, and now it looks only slightly shitty. I did some embroidery on the print, though. The girl's hair is chain-stitched with three colours and it looks FAB, and the bee's butt is satin stitched. I'll finish it eventually :P For the pattern itself, I'm really not impressed. I need to figure out how to make the back of the neck not all gape-y. I think it's cuz my shoulders are very square and broad. My stance is more erect than average, so I guess I need to move the armholes back like I had to for a jacket that's half-done in my supplies box.
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OMG, the jacket... Vogue 8301 (view B) is a PAIN IN THE ASS! It's labelled as easy, which is UTTER POPPYCOCK! If I didn't have to make so many bloody alterations to the damn thing, sure, maybe it would have been easy. I had to move the shoulder line rearward, broaden the back AND move the armhole rearward to compensate, shorten the waist, lengthen the peplum, draft an inside shoulder yoke and front facing, draft the lining... Ok, I think was it. The reason it's not done? Figuring out how to put piping and a zipper into the front at the same time. I think I know how to, now, but I was awfully fed up! And because I had to shorten the waist, the front panel thingies are shorter than the buttonhole guide, so I think I'll just sew the buttons right onto it, no undo-age! Screw that! Want to know when I started it? LAST AUGUST! Ya. It's been sitting in my bin for 11 months.
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So there ya have it. My great big sewing FAILs.
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Yarny Plannings and Other Plannings

2009-07-12T10:51:00.005-04:00

I've been doing alot of crochet. I learned how to increase and decrease! I really wanted to make a faux-hawk hat for my little brother. I started crocheting with black acrylic yarn, but I either did something terribly wrong, or the pattern has something wrong with it. More likely it's just me :P It ended up eight-sided instead of six-sided, somehow. That made it parabolic-ish, and it was tres tres wonky. So I undid it all and went on the hunt around the interwebs. I found some hats with flappy bits like I wanted, but I didn't know how to double-crochet (still don't, really; only tried a swatch, and it was ok, but haven't actually made something with dc yet), and most of those patterns wanted dc, tbc, hdc and other wierd stitches. I finally found a simple beanie pattern in single crochet, though. I used the technique suggested by the first tute to make the earflaps.
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After that, I snagged a bunch of gray-blue, light gray and dark gray wool felting yarn from Todd's mum and started the LOOOOOONG process of cutting and weaving little strips into a mohawk. If I ever make this hat again, I'll hold it to 3 or 5 rows, but this one for Mikey has 7 rows. Then I decided I wanted it to felt PERFECTLY. So I picked apart each and every single piece of mohawk yarn. Then I combed every row. It's now a wonderfully fuzzy multicoloured mohawk. I just have to toss it in the wash in a pillow case and c'est fini!
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Project deux is a surprisingly large amigurumi teddy bear (now that I know how to increase and decrease!). A woman on Craftster wanted a few people to test her pattern and I decided to jump on the chance to try something new. I think I shoulda snagged a 3 mm or 3.5 mm from Todd's mum, because the 4 mm must be too big. The teddy is sposed to end up 14 cm tall, but if his head is this huge, he's gonne be ENORMOUS. I'm making him out of black felting yarn, though, so I think I'll just felt him :D Then he'll shrink, and if I comb him, he'll be slightly furry-ish.
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I'm also taking part in a swap! YAY! It's the Camper's Swap on Craftster. This is only my second swap. My first was the March Birthday Swap. Thankfully, I've been partnered wih a fellow Canadian, so no shipping internationally, YAY! It's only a 4 point swap, but it's gonna be pretty intensive anyway because we are making little travel cards featuring a camping location that we like (not telling what location I picked, in case a fellow swapper mosies on over here). I've already got the layout for mine on the computer, though I may change it up. Once I have the layout all decided, I'm printing out seven of them (cuz there's 8 in the swap including me), then papercrafting my little heart out :D I got supplies from the dollar store and some goodies from Canadian Tire to include.
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I also had an AHA moment while at Dollarama. I'm not gonna say what I'm making, but I'm hoping that my swap partner likes it! It's something I've never done before, and I'm pretty excited. I still need to MacGyver a couple things, cuz I'm not going to buy more supplies if I can help it. It's probably more art than craft, because it's something meant for display, rather than use, but it IS camping related.
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More SoapDeli Giveaways!

2009-07-11T08:49:00.003-04:00

The fabulous Rebecca of SoapDeli is giving away MORE soap! She's sure working hard to draw customers! I'll reiterate that my faves are Lavender Pine and Buttercream Vanilla :D Mmmmm. I think the PL is something my Dad would really like, actually. He likes manly soap, like peach and vanilla :P Heeeey, his birthday is soon... Hmmm...

You can enter to win some NEW soaps from Rebecca: Star City Seduction, Mill Mountain, and Virginia Honeysuckle. All you have to do is go directly to her shopping blog, ShopByHand.

GIVEAWAY: July’s Five for Five - PURPLEPINKANDORANGE.COM

2009-07-11T08:37:00.003-04:00

GIVEAWAY: July’s Five for Five - PURPLEPINKANDORANGE.COM

Posted using ShareThis

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This is a pretty cool giveaway! You have five chances to win something from one of five shops! Some really beautiful work by these craftstpeople, too! My fave pieces are the "Reflections" pendant from Madison Reece Designs, and it's a toss-up between “Butterfly Fused Glass Pendant” in vanilla, and “Fused Glass Pendant” in vanilla with black gingko leaf from PennyGlassGirl.

Handmade Soap Giveaway!

2009-07-11T06:33:00.002-04:00

Apparently SoapDeli is really going all out with giveaways (at least I THINK it's the same seller as another giveaway awhile back), but regardless, all those soaps are making me swoon! My fave is Lavender Pine, but Vanilla Buttercream is a VERY close second!
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To participate in this giveaway, go to Etsy Treasure Chest, surveyor of handmade goods across the interweb!

Sharing Vintage Patterns

2009-07-07T03:58:00.003-04:00

I did some research into US copyright law. I had to if I wanted to share this awesome knitting pattern:
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Once again, I will stress that this pattern has a teeny tiny slim chance of still being under copyright, and as unlikely as that is, I would encourage anyone who uses this pattern to ensure that you don't make money from that usage. If anyone associated with the Marriner estate comes across this and would like me to remove it, I'll do so immediately.
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If you'd like to download this FREE, NON-COMMERCIAL-USE knitted sweater pattern, go via this Craftster post, where you will also be directed to my research into US copyright law.
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Yarntastic! Finished Some WIPs :D

2009-07-07T03:55:00.004-04:00

I'm sooooo bad for WIPs! I just put the finishing touches on THREE scarves. All consist of plain ol' single crochet. I'll present them in reverse order of start-date (you'll see why!).
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I started this one only about 5 weeks ago and finished it two days ago. It's made from leftover felting-wool yarn from my BF's mom (she makes mittens and slippers with this stuff). Out of 5 colours, I have three colours left, but they are TEENY TINY little balls that I'll probably make flowers out of.
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This scarflette was started in March and finished in May. All it needed was buttons, which were put on last night. It's made from black acrylic yarn carrying black and pink polester eyelash.
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This is the LOOOOOONGEST WIP I've EVER had! I started this scarf for my mother THREE YEARS AGO! I got sick of it because the tension has to be maintained PERFECTLY so that the nubbles are evenly spaced. I FINALLY finished it this evening. The yarn is even more gorgeous in person, made from a really soft and fluffy wool/mohair blend. It took 4 balls, 2 each from different lots, which is why each half of the scarf is slightly different. Finished length is about EIGHT FEET and Mumsie is shorter than I am.
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I almost want to make another nubbly one for me!
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